Stafford, Va. –– County Fare Restaurant went from having a yellow, drab dining room to getting a makeover of teal walls, a stainless steel lunch counter and a motorcycle mounted underneath.
It was made to look like an authentic 1950s American diner, and the restaurant, its owner and employees were also made into TV stars Wednesday night.
The Food Network’s Restaurant Impossible chose to film a show about the failing restaurant last spring, located on U.S. 1 outside Stafford County’s courthouse.
The idea: rebrand the eatery and give it a $10,000 makeover.
The restaurant’s owner, Eric Green, told the show’s host, Robert Irvine, that he has lost a half-million dollars over the past five years running the restaurant, and that it has never turned a profit. Green also told the cameras that, without the show’s help, he planned to close in four months.
About the only thing making money in the restaurant is an ATM machine he refused to give up as part of the makeover.
All was revealed Wednesday night as the show was aired for the first time on the Food Network (PotomacLocal.com’s cameras were banned from the restaurant until the show aired).
In addition to new décor, County Fare also got some new menu items like bananas Fosters French Toast and a Ruben burger. Some new items have done better than others with the guests.
“They came in and chopped the dinner menu in half, and since they left we’ve had to bring back a few things that were taken off the menu. And the Ruben burger hasn’t been as popular as I thought it would be,” said General Manager Cynthia Strong.
On Wednesday, Strong said things have yet to pick up.
“We’ve seen a few new regulars but not as much as we had hoped to see. I don’t know if it’s the location, because we’re not on [Route] 610 or if it’s the economy,” said Strong.
Business picked up in May, was down in June and has been “horrible” this month, she added.
Green, a retired Marine who served in Kuwait, said he and his wife opened the restaurant after he left the service.
