Celebrating Virginia Diner’s 85 years.
If you’ve ever driven Route 460 in southeastern Virginia, you’ve seen the signs. Giant images of fried chicken legs and thick slices of peanut pie mark the distance to Wakefield’s iconic Virginia Diner, the star of the town that rightly calls itself the “Peanut Capital of the World.”
In September, the state’s oldest roadside diner will celebrate its 85th anniversary with a weekend of music, antique cars and, of course, food. The diner’s signature dishes (Virginia country ham and chicken fried steak among them) and a new Celebration Mix—two types of peanuts with red and white chocolate pieces (a nod to the establishment’s trademark gingham tablecloths)—will be served alongside a new burger, the Rail Car, concocted just for the event. The 6-ounce patty with country ham and bacon on a pretzel bun honors the diner’s first location in 1929 in an old rail coach.
Apart from the building, little has changed about the diner through the years, says Scott Stephens, sales and marketing director. “It’s been in the same spot for 85 years. It’s created this aura, this history about it.”
