Small Business Spotlight: Village Cafe
Look around any small town and you’ll find a business that seems like the very heartbeat of the community. In Laurelville, that’s the Village Café. This longtime gathering place not only feeds guests homecooked food but also provides a sense of community for regulars and friendly service for all.
Owners Melissa Hart and Tabitha Durst say they work hard to keep the service quick, the prices affordable and the food good. They’re conscious of how inflation has hurt people and that most are looking for a good meal served quickly so they can be on their way.
“We are here for the common person. We want people to be able to come in and afford a meal,” Tabitha said explaining that people can often have a meal with dessert for about the same price as a fast food lunch.
The other thing that people love about this place is that it’s comfortable. The wood paneling and wooden tables and chairs, along with an array of comfort food, may remind many of meals in their grandma’s kitchen. A long counter with stools provides additional seating with a retro touch.
If the food tastes like something from grandma’s kitchen, that’s because many of their recipes were handed down from their grandparents and from others who have had connections to the café over the years. Things like roast beef, chicken noodles, meat loaf and creamed chicken are favorites on their menu of daily specials. Melissa’s brother created some special sauces like the one for the Village Burger and they still use a barbeque sauce recipe from local woman Ruth Thurston. “Some of these people are gone now but they live on here through the recipes they left behind,” Melissa said.
It is these recipes that keep people coming back and they are grateful for that support. “Half the people come in so often they don’t need a menu,” Tabitha said. “It’s the regulars that keep us going and that supported us through the pandemic. We wouldn’t be here if not for our regulars.”
In turn, they keep their prices low and buy locally when they can. For example, their popular roast beef comes from Young’s Market while the hamburger is purchased from DeLong’s Farm.
Their famous pies are baked from scratch and come in a variety of delectable flavors like Coconut Cream, Berry, Snickers, Apple, Lemon, Peanut Butter and much more including seasonal favorites.
Both are local gals who say the Village Café has been part of their lives since 1987. That’s when Tabitha’s mom and Melissa’s brother decided they wanted to try their hand at running a restaurant together. Both Tabitha and Melissa agreed that they never intended to run this place but perspectives changed with age and when family illnesses meant their help was needed to keep it going. Now they own the business and they both take turns working shifts as waitresses, both setting an example for how they wish customers to be treated and each bringing in some extra personal income so they can keep prices low.
“We have people come in and tell us we should raise the prices. They’re worried we’ll go out of business. We’re not getting rich but we like the way we do things and we want to keep it affordable for the common person,” Tabitha said.
A customer from Londonderry approached the table while Melissa and Tabitha were talking with VCNB. She complimented the food and said “the roast beef tastes just like homemade!” Melissa assured her that it really is homemade, roasted that morning for her enjoyment.
They admit that times have changed and the service industry is much different now than it was in 1987. “It’s harder to find reliable workers these days. A lot of people can’t keep up with the pace in here either. You have to be able to zoom around and get people their food quickly at lunch time,” Tabitha said.
There has been a restaurant on this site for as long as most people can remember and the pair seem happy carrying on the tradition. “Neither of us love the business end of running a business. It’s a lot of headache sometimes. But small towns are the best and we love what we do. We love the people and we worry about them if we don’t see someone for a while. They’re like family,” Tabitha said. “We are grateful for them all.”
The Village Café is located at 16039 Water Street in Laurelville. They are open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.