Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 33

DEBORAH HUSO

select my own cut of steak, the rub, the sauce, and the
sides. It's like making one's own dinner without actually having to make it! Zale treats me to some tantalizing and unusual appetizers,too, including ravioli
wrapped in pork and a house-made tofu. And the
atmosphere can't be beat-warm brick walls with
windows overlooking Route 11, crisp white tablecloths. It's a delightful mix of rustic and elegant.
The LocaL chop house and GriLL
56 W. Gay St., HarriSonburG,
540-801-0505, localcHopS.com.

STAUNTON: ICONIC DRIVE-IN
In Staunton, there is a place where you can still get
curbside service as if it's 1950 all over again. And just
like the good old days, the menu sports cheeseburgers, fries, hot dogs, pork barbecue, shakes, floats,
malts, and sundaes.
Welcome to Wright's Dairy-Rite. Forester Wright
founded the dairy bar solely as a window walk-up ice
cream shop in 1952, gradually adding the drive-in
and sit-down restaurant service in years following.
The current owner, James Cash, is his grandson.
When I stop in for a strawberry sundae, Cash is busy
working behind the scenes, but his mother, Shirley
Cash McKee (Wright's daughter) happily joins me in

a red vinyl booth and tells me about growing up in
the business. While the curbside service these days
features speakers, "we originally had 'curb girls,'"
McKee remarks. "You flashed your lights when you
needed attention."
In 1978, McKee's father added the dining room,
and the telephones for placing orders are still intact
at each table. And while many a roadside drive-in
restaurant has come and gone, Wright's has kept on
going. According to McKee, it's more than simple
nostalgia.
"A lot of it is because it's family-owned," she says.
"But first it's the good food that brings people back."
Before the Civil Rights Movement, Wright's was
the only place in town that would serve African
American families.
"They weren't allowed in the sit-down restaurants,"
McKee explains, "so this was the only place they could
get food. Daddy was adamant about serving them."
What makes Wright's special when compared to
franchise fast food? "We cook everything fresh after
the customer orders it. It doesn't sit there," McKee
says. "You can build your own burgers here, and boy,
do our customers ever do it!"

At Wright's Dairy-Rite,
patrons can still place
orders from their table
via telephone, and each
burger is still made to
order, just as in the good
old days.

WriGhT's dairy-riTe
346 Greenville ave., Staunton
540-886-0435, dairy-rite.com. 
MARCH/APRIL 2015 | 33


http://www.localcHopS.com http://www.dairy-rite.com

Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015

8 States of Great Drives for Spring
Photoessay: The New Green and New Blossoms of Spring
Dining Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley
Move Over Jamestown: Was the First Inland U.S. Settlement in the N.C. Mountains?
Weekend! Visiting the Historic Cumberland Gap of Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia
New Home from the Ashes: The Bonesteels’ Asheville Residence
Letters, From the Editor, Worth a Click
Mill Creek Stories
Creature Feature
The Hike
Mountain Report
Great Buys in the Mountains
Festivals & Events
Mountain Garden
Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 5
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Letters, From the Editor, Worth a Click
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 7
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Mill Creek Stories
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Creature Feature
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - The Hike
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 13
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Mountain Report
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Great Buys in the Mountains
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Festivals & Events
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 8 States of Great Drives for Spring
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 19
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 20
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 22
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 23
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 24
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 25
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Photoessay: The New Green and New Blossoms of Spring
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 27
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 28
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Dining Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Move Over Jamestown: Was the First Inland U.S. Settlement in the N.C. Mountains?
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 36
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Weekend! Visiting the Historic Cumberland Gap of Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 38
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 39
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 40
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 41
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - New Home from the Ashes: The Bonesteels’ Asheville Residence
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 43
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 44
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 45
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 46
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 47
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Mountain Garden
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - 49
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2015 - Cover4
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