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Town history lives on at Dan’l Boone Inn |
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Thursday, 29 November 2007 |
by LINDSAY TIGAR
Lifestyles Editor
It has often been said food from home is food that’s good for the heart and health.
If so, Dan’l Boone Inn on Hardin Street in Boone has been promoting healthiness since 1923.
The building was first built as Dr. Bringham’s residence, and then became the first hospital in Boone
where patients stayed with their doctor, and later a dorm-like establishment for Appalachian State
students.
In December 1959, the restaurant was founded by the Whitker family.
Birdie E. Townsend remembers the restaurant when it first opened.
“It started out small, and we served plate lunches and family style, too,” she said. “You got one meat
and three vegetables for $1, but steak was $1 and a quarter. Family style was $2.50.”
Townsend, now 82, began working at Dan’l Boone Inn with her husband in 1962.
They would walk a mile off of the mountain to catch a ride, she said.
She recently retired in 2003 after 40 years of service to the restaurant.
A section of the restaurant is dedicated to her service and displays one of the first dresses she wore
as a waitress.
The Whitkers’ granddaughter married Appalachian State alumnus Jeff D. Shellman.
Currently the restaurant manager, Shellman continues the tradition of Dan’l Boone Inn by keeping the
environment focused towards life in the early 1900s.
However, the menu has changed due to the high number of visitors to the restaurant.
“Menus have changed somewhat over the time,” he said. “Back when volume was a lot lower, they
could do a bigger variety of things than we can do now.”
 The Dan'l Boone Inn has been open since 1923. Photo by Derek DeSha
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Today, the restaurant offers home-style family cooking, or “just like at your grandmother’s house” as
they advertise, for around $15.
The star items on the menu are fried chicken, country ham, mashed potatoes, and stewed apples,
Shellman said.
The restaurant was closed in 2006 from January to September for remodeling.
However, Shellman has tried to keep the outside look of the building similar to when it was first built.
Inside, the main lobby has remained the same, but everything else been remodeled to fit more people
and keep appliances and health codes up to date.
The kitchen was reconstructed from the dirt up for close to $1.4 million, Shellman said.
Shellman estimates during the summer time, they serve anywhere from 5,000-6,000 customers and
close to 2,000 in the winter time.
Most customers are out-of-towners looking for a restaurant to represent Boone.
“It’s such a tourist kind of restaurant and I have a lot of people come here and ask me about things to
do in Boone,” said Allison N. Howington, a senior apparel and textile major and Dan’l Boone Inn
employee. “I forget people come from all over just to experience Dan’l Boone Inn.”
Many customers enjoy the historical experience and the quality of food Dan’l Boone Inn offers.
Shannon and Shane Hudson, from Maiden, dined at the restaurant Nov. 19 after visiting Grandfather
Mountain with their daughters Sydney and Saylem.
“The food is great and it’s a nice family atmosphere,” Shannon said. “We knew [the restaurant] was
here and had been here for a while, so we knew it was credible.”
Shellman encourages students to dine at Dan’l Boone Inn to experience home-style food and memories
of Boone from the past.
“The biggest appeal is, one, you can sit down as a group and have a meal together, and two, it’s home
cooking,” he said. “It’s one of the oldest buildings in Boone and it’s got to be the oldest restaurant. I
just think it exemplifies the culture of the area with the cuisine we serve.”
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