Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502270086
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JOANNE ANDERSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But let's start at the front door. If it's busy, and it's been plenty busy since opening Feb. 8, there will be a line.
Like the throngs at Disney World during school breaks, people are queued in a hairpin fashion. "With 235 restaurants in 21 states, we've learned a few things about queuing people," said Randy Hart, vice president at the Ryan's Greenville, S.C. headquarters.
Because Ryan's is a steak house, options include: ribeyes in three sizes, filet mignon, T-bones up to 19 ounces (which at $9.99 is the most expensive steak), sirloin starting at $3.99.
The megabar is $5.99 ($4.99 at lunch time) or $1.99 with an entree.
After placing an order at a cafeteria-style counter, customers move across the aisle to pay. There a server will take the first person's tray, escort the party to a table and bring drink refills and clean plates for repeat trips to the bars.
If you start your evening meal with salad, you'll have 36 food bins to check out - salad greens, fruits, cheeses, shredded things, diced things, sliced things, an assortment of dressings and things you probably never think to put on salad at home, like raisins, peanuts, pretzels and sunflower seeds.
You can order little shrimps or cheese stick appetizers or help yourself to nachos and sauce at the bar. There are four hot soup selections and big, white, butter-topped rolls baked fresh daily in the glassed-in bakery behind the food bars.
For entrees, there simply must be something for everyone. Nine meat selections are standard, along with rice, baked potatoes, pasta, mashed potatoes, goulash, macaroni and cheese, hot vegetables, casseroles, gravies and other finishing touches. The menus rotate, so you may not find the same things each time you visit.
Cakes, cobblers and cookies are always on the the dessert bar, along with pies, puddings and brownies and a dozen or so toppings for soft ice cream and nonfat yogurt.
Carpeting and glass partitions keep noise levels relatively comfortable for a space where more than 400 people may be eating and talking.
The first Ryan's restaurant was opened in 1978 in Greenville, S.C.
This concept of limited service in restaurants is gaining in popularity and leads the restaurant industry in sales volume. Because of the limited service, customers often wonder about tipping.
According to Hart, some folks tip a full 15 percent, some don't tip at all and others leave a tip of zero to 15 percent. "Our servers are paid the tipped wage of $2.13 per hour," he continued. "If they give good service, they usually receive good tips."
Ryan's Family Steak House
Address: U.S. 460 and Virginia 114 at New River Valley Mall, Christiansburg
Phone: 381-5282
Hours: Sunday through Thursday,10:45 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:45 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Specialties: All-you-can-eat buffet bars
Beverages: No alcohol
Price range: $3.99-9.99
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover
Reservations: Not required
Smoke-free building
Handicapped accessible
by CNB