Stafford, Va. — On the blue walls over a lunch counter, a sign still hung on Wednesday harkening back to what this restaurant turned made-for-TV diner use to be.
The sign states “County Fare – A Great American Diner,” the restaurant in Stafford that closed in October despite getting national attention from TV’s Food Network’s “Restaurant Impossible” in April. The show helped to remake the diner at the corner of U.S. 1 and Hope Road over 48 hours by giving it a new coat of paint, remaking its lunch and desert counters, and added some new menu items like a Ruben burger.
Though the changes came too late for County Fare’s owner, Eric Green, new owner In Jun Bang hopes to build a successful business here, and he’ll call it “County Café.”
“I saw the restaurant on TV, and Eric, the old owner, I think he’s a really good person but he didn’t have that much experience on the restaurant business,” said Bang, who’s run a restaurant in Georgia for the last 10 years.
Being the restaurant business is tough, said Bang. He and his wife – who for the past 10 years has managed an eatery on K Street in Washington – both have done it for more than 25 years. The key to success here will be great food.
“When we open and do the food test, we want to make sure that we have what we need to make delicious food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” said Bang.
The menu will be a mix of American food, a taste of southern cooking he picked up while in Georgia, as well as some Korean favorites like Bulgogi, or marinated beef.
Bang lives in Maryland with his wife but is looking to move to Stafford to be closer to his new business.
“I checked the neighborhood and they’re not a lot of restaurants in this area, and the most of important thing for small business is location, location, location, and this area is not hot but it’s not bad,” said Bang.
He’s been cleaning the restaurant for the past month, as he said it was left in mediocre condition. Bang plans to open in late January and will invite area residents to a special tasting event prior to the grand opening.
