Eat, Meet, Make History

The restaurant represents Lakeland as a whole — a welcoming community that feels like home, no matter where you’re from. Reececliff is not a museum. It is a living ode to what once was, a historical scene open to new players.

Inside, the bustling kitchen pumps out Saturday brunch specials: eggs, bacon, grits, home fries. Reececliff welcomes new crowds while honoring old traditions. Classic dishes haven’t changed. Stop by on any given Thursday and you will find locals enjoying a classic turkey dinner with cranberry sauce and fresh baked bread. 

 “We peel at least 50 pounds of potatoes per day,” says James Bronkhorst, owner and operator of Reececliff. “Our mashed potatoes and home fries are made fresh. Our pies, from scratch. There’s no question for us. It’s just what we do.”

Old Lakeland lives here: a clock with the iconic Publix logo and framed black-and-white, sun-stained photos adorn the walls. 

Bronkhorst wanted to move closer to family, and relocated from Texas to Tampa in 2001. Only a year later, he decided to buy Reececliff over a cup of coffee with Robert Pope, Jr. 

The Pope family had owned Reececliff for three generations when Robert decided to pass the baton. He knew Bronkhorst had experience owning and operating restaurants, and left it in good hands. 

“In a way, it was scary coming on board at a restaurant that already had so much history behind it,” Bronkhorst recalled. “But I didn’t want to change much. Southern food is all about sticking to your roots. So I preserved the good stuff.”

Bronkhorst’s business strategy? Take care of the customers, and take care of the employees.

“If you come to work and do the right thing, everything works,” he says.

Reececliff’s long-term employees prove it. Employees like Miss Jeanette, Reececliff’s expert pie baker, worked at the restaurant for nearly 60 years.

“She walked in, 17-years old and looking for a part time job, in 1953. She baked our pies until 2010.”

Bronkhorst also mentioned Ms. Willie, a cook and connoisseur of their classic dishes, who’s been there since 1974 — and still works in the kitchen today.

After taking over, Bronkhorst kept things simple, but did make several small tweaks. He began opening the restaurant earlier and made a few facade improvements. He also introduced the coconut cream pie, working with Miss Jeanette to perfect the recipe. Today, that pie is the  best-selling pie on the menu.

“In a way, it was scary coming on board at a restaurant that already had so much history behind it,” Bronkhorst recalled. “But I didn’t want to change much. Southern food is all about sticking to your roots. So I preserved the good stuff.”

Bronkhorst’s business strategy? Take care of the customers, and take care of the employees.

“If you come to work and do the right thing, everything works,” he says.

Reececliff’s long-term employees prove it. Employees like Miss Jeanette, Reececliff’s expert pie baker, worked at the restaurant for nearly 60 years.

“She walked in, 17-years old and looking for a part time job, in 1953. She baked our pies until 2010.”

Bronkhorst also mentioned Ms. Willie, a cook and connoisseur of their classic dishes, who’s been there since 1974 — and still works in the kitchen today.

After taking over, Bronkhorst kept things simple, but did make several small tweaks. He began opening the restaurant earlier and made a few facade improvements. He also introduced the coconut cream pie, working with Miss Jeanette to perfect the recipe. Today, that pie is the  best-selling pie on the menu.