The Bluffs Restaurant will reopen May 27 on the Blue Ridge Parkway
The Bluffs new operator is Heritage Dining and Events, LLC, led by Sharon Pinney and Chef John Gamradt of Boone.
The Bluffs, at Milepost 241 on the parkway, briefly reopened last August but closed after just five days of operation, in part because of issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Shana Whitehead and Bill Health of Muddy Creek Cafe in Winston-Salem and Sparta had signed on to operate the restaurant the year before and were on board through the renovation spearheaded by the nonprofit Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, based in Winston-Salem.
“Heritage is honored and excited to be a part of bringing The Bluffs, a cherished iconic restaurant, back to life,” Pinney, president of Heritage Dining and Events, said in a news release.
The restaurant will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. The menu will feature traditional Southern fare with a fresh and savory, modern approach. The Bluffs classics such as sweet potato pancakes and Southern-style fried chicken will be available daily. Delicious dinner specials prepared by Gamradt will establish The Bluffs as a culinary destination.
In 1949, The Bluffs became the first dining establishment to open on the Parkway. The former coffee shop welcomed generations of diners before closing in 2010. Last year, the stone and timber building underwent extensive renovations. Today, The Bluffs appears just as many remember it, with green and white checkerboard floors, a retro lunch counter with stools, and the original light fixtures.