Mabry Mill Restaurant & Gift Shop
Blue Ridge Parkway, Meadows of Dan, Virginia
Management: January 2014 – Present
Blue Ridge Parkway, Meadows of Dan, Virginia
Management: January 2014 – Present
Mabry Mill is one of the most visited sites on the Blue Ridge Parkway, with several hundred thousand travelers visiting the Mill each year. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a historic two-lane scenic roadway stretching 469 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.
Ed and Lizzie Mabry built this historic mill and water supply flume system around 1905. By 1908 the gristmill was in operation and people from as far away as eight miles were bringing their corn to be ground.
The National Park Service acquired the Mabry Mill property in 1938. The gristmill complex was restored and preserved, as it was deemed historically significant by the Park Service as representing the rich cultural past of the Blue Ridge Mountain region.
At Mabry Mill, Cape Leisure operates a restaurant and gift shop, located next door to the Mill.
Challenge: Provide professional management of a historic property, offer quality food and beverage services, and deliver income through a thriving retail facility.
Strategy: Since 2014, Cape Leisure has operated food, retail and interpretive services to travelers visiting Mabry Mill under a concession contract with the National Park Service. In reference to its rich history, Mabry Mill Restaurant remains true to its regional influences, featuring a menu famous for its homestyle scratch cooking of items such as chicken pot pie and meatloaf. Breakfast is also served daily, and people from miles around rave about the pancakes, including buckwheat, oatmeal, cornmeal, and sweet potato varieties.
We provide live interpretation at the 110-year-old Mabry Mill and operate the Mabry Mill Gift Shop, featuring genuine Appalachian crafts and gifts, along with conveniences and souvenirs. We also introduced hand-dipped ice cream and other grab-and-go foods near the entrance to the facility.
Cape Leisure designs and maintains an integrated marketing program to promote visits to the Mill and restaurant with social media and paid advertising. We provide a host of financial, safety, environmental, facility management and maintenance systems and processes. Upkeep of the concession building has included replacement of all facility windows, all new electric panels and building wiring, and a gift shop remodel.
Talk to us and see how a partnership with Cape Leisure can solve your hospitality management needs.