Warm Welcome

Despite being relatively new, Old Oak Café has already made quite an impression on the Smith Mountain Lake dining scene.
    While most eateries at the lake rely heavily on tourists, Old Oak, which opened in March, has focused on building a loyal following of locals looking for a relaxed atmosphere to linger over a fresh, hot breakfast, enjoy a quick, hearty lunch or grab a specialty coffee to go.
    “I like the price range, the atmosphere. Everyone is so friendly,” said Moneta resident Mandy Martin, who meets friends at Old Oak for meals 3-4 times a month. “I love the choices on the menu. It’s just a nice, well-rounded place that I thoroughly enjoy.”
    The response has come as no surprise to owners Randy and Lila Watson.
    “We designed the restaurant for locals, not tourists,” Randy Watson said, “and all the response has confirmed that we did the right thing.”
    The Watsons aren’t newcomers to the restaurant and hospitality industry. They owned and operated a Minnesota lakefront resort for five years before selling and returning to Lila’s native California. But the state’s high cost of living and depressed economy soon had them looking for business opportunities elsewhere.
    “We researched all 50 states,” Randy Watson said. “We came up with our top five, and then broke it down into other categories like recreation. We decided on Virginia because it has four seasons, a moderate climate and a combination of mountains and water.”
    Randy visited the state on a sightseeing trip in the spring of 2009, made a detour to SML, spent three days and decided he liked what he saw. The Watsons quickly made the decision to move to the area despite Lila having never visited.
    “I said, ‘Let’s just go for it,’” she said.
    While on his initial visit, the one thing Randy Watson said he found lacking at the lake was “a good, quality breakfast. I was able to come in with a fresh set of eyes and say ‘What can I do to fill this niche?’”
    The couple moved to SML the following July and soon noticed the space at Lakewood Professional Center left vacant when Reds, Wines and Blues closed. They signed a lease and got started on a major remodel to give the restaurant a more comfortable, country feel.
    And the food at Old Oak, where breakfast is served all day, matches the atmosphere. The most popular item is the Old Oak Breakfast – two eggs, choice of hash browns or country potatoes, choice of sausage, bacon or ham for $5.95. Other top sellers include the cinnamon sweet potato pancakes ($3.99 for three or $5.75 for five) and the Old Oak Burger ($6.25 with your choice of one side item), the most basic of 10 burgers on the menu.
    Randy Watson said customers also enjoy the menu’s distinctive sandwiches (salmon croquette BLT, grilled portobello panini, and teriyaki steak and cheese melt for example) as well as the soup and salad bar, which is $5.95 on its own or $2.50 when added to any burger or sandwich. The salad bar includes a variety of fresh items and the soups are made from scratch daily.
    “[The salad bar] is really getting popular,” he said. “We knew we’d hit a home run if we did it well. We make it a display piece. It’s centrally located and adds to the overall ambiance.”
    Old Oak also offers an assortment of goodies baked daily by Lila Watson and the kitchen staff she manages behind the scenes. The items vary by day and include scones, muffins and cookies.
    The restaurant also serves a variety of hot and cold specialty drinks such as espresso, latte, cappuccino and mocha. The coffee is a custom blend created by Honest Coffee Roasters, a local company operated by the former owners of the now-defunct Solid Ground Coffee & Tea.
    The couple also plans to offer dinner on Friday and Saturday nights starting in November. New entree items such as steak, seafood and turkey will join some of the heartier items from the lunch menu. The soup and salad bar will also be beefed up.
    “We’ll give it a try and see how it goes through the winter,” Randy Watson said.

Old Oak Café is located at 400 Scruggs Road, Suite 900, Moneta. The restaurant is open Tuesday-Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday and Saturday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m., and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, including a complete menu, visit oldoakcafe.com. 540.719.3388