Comments on: Little Chef closes the doors

By: Beth

Beth — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:16:58 +0000

Little Chef holds a special place in my heart. My mother told me that she and my father used to go there after a night on the town. Every time I drove by Little Chef I would smile, thinking about my parents talking over their fun night or just generally being young and in love. When I gave birth to my second child, my mother took my eldest daughter to Little Chef for breakfast and they had a great time there, talking about how special it was for our family to grow. I did eat at Little Chef a few times and wasn’t wowed by the food, but it was all about history, memories, and the feelings it evoked. Best of luck to the owners and staff.

By: Mike D

Mike D — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 05:13:34 +0000

Can not pass this story without saying a few things.
I do hate to see this place close. I have not eaten there much over the past year and a half. I had noticed business was a far cry from what it once was. From so packed in the mornings that it was hard to find a seat to hardly anyone in the place.
While I will say the economy did play a factor I have to also say a good portion is the their own fault. From my experiences eating there anyway. I’m sure people have had better and others worse.
One problem I kept having and one of two of the biggest reasons I had nearly stopped going was there wasn’t constancy in the food. I could eat there on Saturday and have the best food. Return on Sunday and have the worst.
More than once my food would arrive at the table cold. Their grave also depended heavily on what day you got it. I like mine thick and most days it would be. But other times you could drink it with a straw.
The other reason I had all but stopped going is mentioned right in the article. The building needed repairs. But many were just put off even back when their was plenty of business. Example: The window in the large dinning area. It leaked when it rained. bad enough it would make the carpet look horrible. On one visit another customer even commented to the waitress about it. Like someone else commented. The Flies. Several dead by the windows and many still alive and well. Grime along the edges of the floor as well. I started getting concerned about the cleanliness and all but stopped going. Maybe twice in the past year.
A great place once. Not so much the last few years.
I had hopes they would clean up and make some repairs that were needed and turn things around. Sadly this never happened and they finally closed their doors. I had been wondering how much longer they would hang on. Most recently this past Saturday as I drove past.
I may sound harsh to some of their fans here. I do not intend to be and just voicing my part.
Hope someone else steps up and reopens the place. I know Russell saved the old place from the bulldozer years ago. We thank him for that.
Lastly I had noticed that Russell was not around like he once was. Maybe that was the source of some of the above problems.

By: RICK

RICK — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 23:07:04 +0000

Russell I did’nt know about this cause I’m out of town so much, but I admire what you did and you did it well,best damn hashbrowns in Roanoke,give me a call sometime.
BEST OF LUCK LITTLE CHEF WILL BE MISSED
RICK

By: Curt

Curt — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 23:56:32 +0000

Wouldnt it be wonderful if EdWalker stepped in and restored it back to it’s former glory?

By: Judy

Judy — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:18:34 +0000

When I was 18 i worked at lindies on Franklin Road we would come to Get a snack before going home to bed. It was the only safe place to go in 1962.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:53:08 +0000

My friends and I stopped there many late nights on our way home from the Iroquois (also gone but not forgotten).

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:49:58 +0000

The food was great and the prices we’re reasonable…Will miss it:(

By: GJ

GJ — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:45:20 +0000

Hate to see another Roanoke landmark gone..but one funny memory I have about Lil Chef…several years ago, late night, Bluegrass legends the Country Gentlemen had just performed at a local club, our regional bluegrass group had just finished another gig and both bands wound up at the Lil Chef..well the ribbing began with the Gents..one of them came out of the men’s room holding the toilet brush and told one of our band mates, he left his toothbrush in the men’s room…not be outdone, bandmate talks to the waitress and the next thing we see is he has taken a piece of tape and wrote “Country” placed it above “Gentlemen” on the restroom door and told Charlie Waller (RIP) and “The Country Gentlemen” they now have their own dressing room anytime they come through Roanoke!..guess you had to be there, but that was classic late night fun.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:10:14 +0000

In the old days after the bars closed, it was breakfast at L’il Chef or Steak & Egg a few doors north. In more recent times, a nice meatloaf dinner or the Valley’s best pork chops! Sorry to see the demise of yet another iconic Roanoke experience.

By: Lindsey Nair

Lindsey Nair — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:40:23 +0000

Although Little Chef had stopped staying open all night back in February, Trigg asks a good question: Where *can* you go now for a late-night meal? My husband and I were talking about that this morning.
You can to to the Texas Tavern or get a pizza at Fork in the Market or Corned Beef or Benny Marconi’s in downtown Roanoke, but back in my late-night days, I always craved breakfast in the wee hours. Are Denny’s and IHOP open that late? Maybe, but hole-in-the-wall diners have more character and often have better food.