Restaurant Profile: Loretta’s Country Kitchen, Christiansburg, Ohio

Look for local restaurant profiles by Glenn and Kim Creyts every other week in Life. For inquiries regarding this column and ideas for other restaurant profiles and suggestions for future columns, contact Glenn and Kim via e-mail at glenncreyts@att.net.

Restaurant: Loretta's Country Kitchen

Location: 12 East Pike St. (OH-55), Christiansburg, Ohio 45389.

Contact: (937) 857-9275

Background/Overview: Loretta Rhodes was just 16 when she began serving customers at what was then called Lyons Family Restaurant in Christiansburg, Ohio. She was also attending Graham High School in nearby St. Paris at the time. She went on to get married and have two baby girls about two years apart. The eatery became Treon's Family Restaurant. Loretta had found work elsewhere, yet she made it known she missed working in the restaurant business. In 1998, the opportunity arose for her to purchase her favorite teenage employment venue and become a sole proprietor. She struggled through the financing on her own, but received loving support from her daughters and others who believed in her so she could open her Loretta's Family Restaurant.

Atmosphere: Loretta's points to having a homey feel in its kid-friendly restaurant. The owner humbly honors her excellent staff of servers and cooks who present to each customer a huge country classics menu of, "Home Cookin At The Right Price!"

Average check per person: Breakfast-under $8; Lunch-under $10; Dinner-under $10. One-half portion orders are offered to Seniors, with a $1 discount.

The Menu:

Beverages: Coffee (bottomless)-$1.29; Coca-Cola products-$1.69 w/free refills.

Kid's Menu: Silver Dollar Pancakes; Mini Corndogs; Kid's Pizza.

Breakfast (served all day): Classic Country Breakfast; Garden Fresh Omelette.

"Daily Specials" (could be): Baked Cod; Beef Stroganoff; Cabbage Rolls. Each meal is served with fresh baked bread and two sides. The monthly "Daily Specials" list can be e-mailed to you, inquire within.

Sides: Cucumbers & Onions; Deviled Egg; Rice Pudding.

Soups (could be): Broccoli Cheese; French Onion; Navy Bean and Corn Muffins-$1.99/$2.69. Chili is offered every day for the same prices.

Salads: Chicken BLT Salad; Cranberry Pecan Harvest Salad; Fiesta Taco Salad.

Dinners: Country Choice Classic Sirloin (8 oz.); Lemon Pepper Tilapia; Roast Turkey.

Desserts: Carrot Cake-$1.95; Apple Dumpling-$3.09. Each slice of freshly made pie on Loretta's gigantic list is $2.29. Some to decide on are: Butterscotch; Pecan; Pineapple; Pumpkin. There are sugar-free pie options on the list at the same price.

Hours: Open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed on Sunday. Also closed on Thanksgiving Day; Dec. 22-25; Dec. 31; and New Year's Day.

Group seating: A "Party Room," seating up to 28 guests, will be gladly arranged with a 24-hour advance reservation.

More Information: Orders for Thanksgiving pies must be received by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25. Orders for Christmas pies must be received by 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20. Christmas pie pick-up date is Dec. 24 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Directions: Turn west off state Route 235 onto OH-55 into Christiansburg in Champaign County. Look for the white building on the left side of the street. There's free parking in its adjoining lot.

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