Downtown Diners and County-Seat Cafes « Virginia Lawyers Weekly

Downtown Diners and County-Seat Cafes

By Peter Vieth
Published: September 15, 2008

First in an occasional series

There is one in almost every city and town in Virginia — a local lunch counter where lawyers congregate for a quick bite in the middle of the work day.

Often close to a courthouse, these downtown diners and county seat cafes become gathering spots for lawyers looking for a break from business, or meeting sites for informal conferences.

The menu may be unremarkable, but many of the local legal lunch spots have character, and sometimes a colorful past.
One lunch spot with a story is the Burger Bar in Bristol. Lawyer Rick Ladd said he was introduced to the Burger Bar by Circuit Judge Larry Kirksey.

“The Burger Bar is reputedly the last place Hank Williams (Senior) ate before dying,” Ladd said.

As an aside, it actually appears that old Hank likely was in no condition to enjoy the fare at the Burger Bar on New Year’s Eve in 1952. According to accounts of his final ride, the country music legend was bundled up in the back of a Cadillac convertible while his young driver stopped at the Burger Bar for a bite.

By the time the Cadillac got to Oak Hill, W.Va., Hank Williams was dead. The coroner said he had been dead for hours.
Whatever Hank’s state during his short visit in Bristol, his fame is remembered at the Burger Bar, where one menu selection is titled the “Cold, Cold Heart.”

Back to the lawyer lunch story. Lawyers in Wytheville have been known to grab a chili dog at a small storefront lunch counter called Skeeters.

Over in Tazewell, it’s the Main Street Café. “It’s the best,” proclaimed Tazewell attorney Karel Ryan. “We have fun there.”
According to Ryan, there’s a sign by the register saying that fellow Tazewell lawyer Bob Brittain will buy your lunch if you come on Tuesdays.

Abingdon boasts the Dunk & Deli, according to attorney Bill Eskridge. He recommends the homemade doughnuts for breakfast and homemade bean soup for lunch. “You have to get there early or get there late because they’re always swamped,” he said.
Roanoke seems to have more than its share of lawyer gathering spots. One group of attorneys gets together for coffee every Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Sheila’s on Kirk Avenue, a few steps from City Hall. According to Mayor David Bowers, a regular in the group, the get-togethers are a continuation of an informal gathering that met for years at the now-departed Guy’s restaurant.

A few blocks away in Roanoke, Paul’s Restaurant bustles daily with a loyal following of customers, many of them lawyers and judges. At a recent visit, a couple of big-firm lawyers were exchanging notes at one table, a solo was eating with friends at another, and a federal judge was coming in the door with his clerks.

Roanoke lawyers who need a bite in a hurry also have the Texas Tavern, an institution for close to 80 years.

Several lawyers suggested that breaking bread together can sustain a spirit of collegiality among lawyers and judges. Eskridge recalls when the now-defunct Wise Inn was about the only place to eat for the courthouse crowd in the town of Wise. When the judge recessed a trial for lunch, everyone went to the Wise Inn. “It was understood – that’s where you ate lunch,” Eskridge said.

“There was a back dining room with a big long table, and that’s where the lawyers and judges would eat,” Eskridge said. He said the conversation was almost never about the case being tried.

“Everyone was civil. Then, when lunch was over, they would go back to court and butt heads again.”

Former U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said that he got a taste of that kind of collegial dining when he travelled to Abingdon once for a capital murder trial. As he explained, everyone involved was from out of town, including U.S. District Judge Sam Wilson, and all were staying at the stately Martha Washington Inn, an Abingdon landmark that at one time was a small women’s college. To townspeople, it’s simply “The Martha.”

The night before trial was to begin, Wilson called the four attorneys to a pub in the basement of the hotel and the group ate and talked. “We talked about families, kids – everything but the case. It really set the tone for the case, and it was a well-done trial,” Brownlee said.

The one-of-a-kind local lunchroom may be an endangered species. The proliferation of franchise fast food businesses means traveling lawyers now have the option of a recognizable sign and familiar menu even in the smallest communities.

Several lawyers reported that they had never visited any local diners on out-of-town trips. Instead, they opted for Subway. Somehow, it’s just not the same.

Virginia Lawyers Weekly

Downtown Diners and County-Seat Cafes

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