A Shenandoah Valley Tradition Since 1947

Come Home to Mrs. Rowe's Family of Restaurants! Stepping into one of Mrs. Rowe's Restaurants can be like a homecoming, and that's just the way Mildred Rowe would have it. She believed in treating customers like family. That philosophy, not to mention good home-cooked food, has been at the heart of Mrs. Rowe's Restaurants for over fifty years. Its success is evident in the customers who keep coming back for home-style cooking at reasonable prices.

The original Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant and Bakery is located on Route 250 East of Staunton, at the junction of 64 and 81, has become a landmark for travelers. Locals are regulars too and proud of the restaurant's growing fame. Her start in the business came in the late 1940's at “The Far Fame”, a restaurant which featured recipes her mother created and prepared. When she married Willard Rowe in 1953, she brought her recipes with her to Staunton . Prior to 1947 he had run Perk's Barbecue, a roadhouse seating about 40 people and specializing in barbecue and steaks. Together he and Mrs. Rowe renamed the business Rowe's Steakhouse, and, for the next twenty years, oversaw two expansions which increased the capacity to 225. When Mr. Rowe died in 1973, Mrs. Rowe continued to run the restaurant with the assistance of her four children.

Thinking she might retire, Mrs. Rowe turned to her son, Michael DiGrassie, to run the restaurant. Mrs. Rowe still continued to work five days a week until her death in 2003 at the age of 89. In 2006 the family acquired Evers Country Buffet in Mount Crawford , Virginia and began to melt some of Mr. Evers' famous dishes in with Mrs. Rowe's dishes. One dish in particular that can now be seen at both restaurants is Oyster George's Famous Fried Oysters. Also in 2006 the family expanded their services to offer full service catering and corporate cafeterias.

The future looks bright for Mrs. Rowe's family-owned and operated restaurants. Mrs. Rowe's family draws people back with friendliness and great home cooking—spoon bread, sausage gravy, breakfast scrabble (or pon haus), real mashed potatoes, stuffed peppers, fruit pies, banana pudding, and other foods you might expect to find in your grandmother's kitchen. Mrs. Rowe's frozen entrees—available by the check-out counter—are also in great demand. I'm sure Mrs. Rowe is still watching over her restaurants with pride as they grow and continue to serve the public a good helping of family tradition.