Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
Arbovale couple Herb and Angela Fisher have reopened Ryder’s Restaurant and Convenience Store under the name The Bear’s Den.
The Fishers bought the business in the fall and held an official grand opening of the restaurant November 22.
The Bear’s Den is a triple treat, with the restaurant, convenience store and mechanics shop.
“The restaurant will be open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday,” Herb said.
With a menu of stick-to-your-ribs, homemade meals, The Bear’s Den will feature a dinner special as well as a hot bar and salad bar.
“Thursday is going to be lasagna. Friday is prime rib. Saturday special is meat loaf with mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans. Every Sunday, is a turkey and ham special with salad bar and dessert,” Herb said.
The restaurant had a soft opening to prepare the staff and see how the public would take to the new menu and owners.
“We had about seventy to eighty people a day,” Angela said. “Breakfast, lunch and dinner. People that came for lunch came back for dinner.”
As well as having home-style meals, the restaurant utilizes local retailers as much as possible.
“We’re going to get our steak cuts from Kinder’s [Market in Durbin],” Herb said. “We’re going to buy our burger there, too – try to keep a little bit of the money here local.”
The convenience store shares the hours of the restaurant and will have an added touch of homemade goodies.
“We’re going to make our own pizzas,” Herb said. “We’ll sell it by the slice. We’ll also have microwave and grab-and-go sandwiches.”
The mechanic’s shop is small but is able to offer a variety of services.
“Josh [Downy] is our mechanic,” Herb said. “We’re going to do oil changes, brakes and things like that. We’re going to sell tires. We have probably twenty-five sets of tires on hand and we get deliveries twice a week.”
Downy is finishing his mechanic’s degree at Eastern Technical Community College in Moorefield.
Ryder’s opened in the 1940s as a service station and was rebuilt in 1967 when Violet Ryder became owner. In 1974, the restaurant was added and built by Jim Ryder, Sr.
Suzanne Stewart may be contacted at sastewart@pocahontastimes.com