Thelma’s is open
Jan 18, 2011 Restaurant news/reviews
I want to let Thelma’s Chicken ‘N’ Waffles fans know that the restaurant opened in its new digs at 315 Market Street in downtown Roanoke yesterday! And they’ll be open 7 days a week now, but here’s the warning: This is essentially a soft opening, meaning that they don’t yet have their liquor license and, as manager Bernard Chege acknowledged, they are still working on training some new staff and getting everything running smoothly.
Therefore, if you go down there within the next week or few, don’t expect perfection and lightning speed. You might get it, who knows. But don’t expect it.
This would be a good time for me to reiterate that any time I write about a new restaurant, they tend to get slammed, I guess because of the size of The Roanoke Times readership and because we love new restaurants! Sometimes I hear from folks who will visit a restaurant the very day an article appears, or the next day, and they have complaints about the quality of the experience. There’s nothing wrong with being excited and running out to a place, but try to reserve the really critical reviews for a couple of weeks. Actually, professional restaurant reviewers would say at least 30 days.
Okay, my speech is over. Now, I will share the hours for the new Thelma’s. Chege said lunch has been great so far, but they are excited about bringing in a dinner crowd or a late night weekend crowd, as well. As you’ll note, they are also doing breakfast.
Monday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (serving breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Tuesday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. a.m. (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (will probably go later when they get their ABC license)
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (no dinner service)
Hi Lindsey, thanks for letting us know Thelma’s is open in their new place! I’m excited about it and will go there next time I’m downtown. I sure wish them the best and hope this will be a good move for them! I really like their food and the good service!
Comment by Dennis — January 18, 2011 @ 2:46 pm
On the Tues-Thurs hours, did you mean 9PM instead of 9AM?
Comment by Glenn — January 18, 2011 @ 4:40 pm
I saw tbat when I was walking home this afternoon. 4 young guys were going in for dinner. I might stop in tomorrow on my way home. I’m so glad they’re here!
Comment by Debbie — January 18, 2011 @ 5:05 pm
@ Glenn – ACK! Yes, I did mean 9 p.m. I will fix that.
Comment by Lindsey Nair — January 18, 2011 @ 5:19 pm
My lunch buddy and I had lunch at Thelma’s today…we have been anxiously anticipating the opening! It was a GREAT experience!! The staff was friendly and attentive, the food was absolutely WONDERFUL!!! We got our orders quickly so we had plenty of time to enjoy the food ..NO rushing… Best of Luck Thelma’s …we will definatley be back as we can’t wait to try other items on your menu!
Comment by Amy — January 18, 2011 @ 8:00 pm
Thelmas should have a stand alone building. Too bad a more suitable location could not be found. That location needs a take out type breakfast eatery, similar to Panera Bread or a bit more upscale than “down home cookin”.
Comment by Jack — January 18, 2011 @ 10:57 pm
OK I’ll wait 30 days and give them one last try. But like baseball three strikes and your out. The second visit was 3-4 months after the first horrible visit and turned out well. The third and final was not so hot. That has been a few years or so.
Comment by Other Mike — January 19, 2011 @ 12:38 am
I think that sounds very fair, Mike.
Comment by Lindsey Nair — January 19, 2011 @ 10:00 am
We had lunch there on Saturday and it was WONDERFUL! The service was very fast and the friendliest we’ve ever experienced anywhere. Our food was delicious, too! They told us it was a soft opening, but I would never have known. The facility is lovely, too.
Comment by Jen — January 19, 2011 @ 12:16 pm
I love some Thelma’s. I can get my down home cooking fix. The sweet tea is awesome.
Comment by rhuggett — January 19, 2011 @ 1:32 pm
I went to Thelma’s today. They were doing good business and I didn’t have to wait long for my food. It was delicious. I know where to go now, when I’m craving chicken livers.
Jack, I am more than okay with “down home cooking.” There’s no shortage of upscale places downtown. Good food, is good food and doesn’t have to be fancy.
Comment by Debbie — January 19, 2011 @ 5:13 pm
“That location needs a take out type breakfast eatery, similar to Panera Bread or a bit more upscale than “down home cookin”.”
Jack, that location has had a series of ‘upscale’ places, all of which have failed utterly. Maybe it’s time for a new vibe in that location.
And as Debbie says, there’s plenty of “upscale” downtown already…heck, go to 202 and you’ll be treated to all of it you can handle.
I can’t wait to get into the new Thelma’s!
Comment by Kristen — January 19, 2011 @ 6:24 pm
Thanks for pointing out the “soft opening.” My husband used to work in restaurant management and had many a soft opening when he was opening a new restaurant for his boss. Like you, he also had to remind his employees that it would be a learning experience when meeting their new guests.
I hope Thelma’s flourishes! The restaurant industry in Roanoke can be quite fickle at times. I hope Thelma’s can conquer this dreaded spot downtown.
Comment by Amy — January 20, 2011 @ 7:09 am
Had lunch at Thelma’s yesterday. I hadn’t been in a long time because I would have to walk to my car and drive over. Now I can just walk over. Food and service were great as always. I think they will do well.
Comment by Original Greg — January 20, 2011 @ 4:03 pm
Went for dinner Sat. 9/10/2011. SIDES WERE COLD, CHICKEN WAY OVER COOKED, FLOOR WAS GREASY SLIPPERY. WILL NEVER GO BACK !!!!!!!!
Comment by TERRY — September 11, 2011 @ 3:34 pm