For about a half-century, Loretta Schultz has served up countless dishes to thousands of satisfied customers.

But in the past few years, the Norway resident has slowly untied her apron as she hands the reins of the business to daughter Lisa Malone and daughter-in-law Sandy Schultz, both also of Norway.

“The business has always been a family affair,” Malone said, noting she and Sandy began helping in the kitchen at the Stop-Lite Bar in 1979, which Loretta and her husband, Bud owned until it was sold in 1986 to focus full-time on catering. They then built the shop at 700 Iron St. in Norway in 1988.

Over the years the daughter and daughter-in-law have taken on more duties, especially during the pandemic, Malone said.

SANDY SCHULTZ, LEFT, and Lisa Malone get potatoes ready for potato salad for the Stop-Lite Take Out Fish Fry they serve on Fridays. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

“We kept her away from the shop to make sure she was safe,” Malone said. “Up until that time, she would be down here answering phones and lending a hand to whatever needed to be done.”

“Sandy really has been doing more right along,” Malone said. “When it comes to recipes and prep work, Sandy and Pam (Schram), who’s been with us for 26 years now, are the ones that know them — I was the weekend warrior, because up until Oct. 1 I also had a full-time job.”

In early 2016, Malone had the idea to do a fish fry on Friday nights. “My husband and I was out for dinner and I had a thought, ‘There’s no reason we couldn’t do this,'” she said.

They decided to “give it a whirl” that year during Lent season.

The name for the Friday night business was a no-brainer: Stop-Lite Take Out Fish Frys.

“All our recipes — like the batter and coleslaw — is the same as she (Loretta) used at the bar,” Malone said.

That first week was interesting, Malone said, as it was just herself, Sandy and Loretta.

“We didn’t know what to expect — we had no idea how many we would be serving,” she said. “It was well-received and had good feedback from customers, so we decided to try it again.”

The next week, Sandy’s daughters posted the Friday night fish fry on Facebook. “They told me, ‘Aunt, whatever you had last week, double it,'” Malone said. “It just took off from there.”

Stop-Lite offers beer-battered pollock, cod, whitefish, perch and shrimp; boiled cod; and chicken strips. They also do either half-and-half or trio combination dinners. All dinners include coleslaw, baked beans, bread and a choice of potato salad, french fries or seasoned potato wedges.

Sandy also makes special treats to choose from to go along with the meal, at no additional cost.

They serve from 4 to 8 p.m. Fridays. Orders can be called ahead or placed at the shop at 700 Iron St. in Norway.

The Stop-Lite also began curbside delivery during COVID-19. “Just give us a call to alert us you are here and the girls will run out the meals,” Sandy said.

They remind customers they only accept cash or check — no debit or credit cards.

Anyone thinking about booking Loretta’s Catering for their wedding or party for 2022 should do so as soon as possible, Sandy and Malone added.

“August is already full and September is almost full,” Sandy said.

With the Friday night fish fry, they now are only taking one catering job per weekend.

As far as the catering menu, nothing has changed: they provide customers with endless options. “We are also open to trying new things,” Malone said. “We want to accommodate our customers.”

They also welcome orders for smaller parties or family get-togethers. Popular dishes include turkey and dressing, cheesy potatoes, lasagna, stuffed shells and pierogies.

“These orders kept us busy while we were unable to do weddings or large parties during shutdown,” she said.

They ask, if possible, getting orders at least a week in advance, as sometimes they don’t have items on hand and need to place orders. Many of the homemade dishes have ingredients they can’t get locally.

Loretta’s Catering has been a People’s Choice Award winner for more than 10 years.

Loretta has passed on her knowledge and will continue to give the women advice when needed, they said.

“We are trying to fill some big shoes,” Malone noted.

To place fish fry orders or to book Loretta’s Catering, call 906-563-9728.