For the very best in breakfast and beyond, look no further than Village Inn. Since starting out in 1958, Village Inn has become a beloved comfort food staple throughout the country. Today, more than 60 years later, it is continuing to expand and elevate their offerings. Its refreshed store design is warm, inviting and modern, bringing in new and longtime fans alike to enjoy its famous made-from-scratch pancakes and pies, which are legendary.
Dean and Mary LaFollette recently became the new owners of the Village Inn in Riverview. The couple are excited to be a part of the Riverview community.
“I have 30 years of experience with Village Inn with the last 25 years as a regional manager in the state of Florida,” Dean said. “We relocated here in 2000, and my kids all graduated from Riverview High School. My wife, Mary, and I just had our 42nd anniversary. She has been active in the Riverview area too, having worked at the fairgrounds with the Ag-venture program and was the executive secretary for Rep. Rayburn for many years.”
Comfort food is warm and restorative, something we all crave. Village Inn customers come back again and again to enjoy their favorite flavors in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere at a price they can afford.
“Our mission at the Riverview Village Inn is to provide caring hospitality and delicious, memorable food,” Dean said. “We are keenly aware that 35 families depend on our success, and we make a priority of our team members. We recognize team birthdays, elect a monthly ‘employee of the month’ and for the past four years we have taken our team to Busch Garden for our Christmas party.”
Nationally, the Village Inn brand is known for their ‘from-scratch’ pancakes and their famous pies.
“Overall, we take a basic approach to our comfort food and value platforms and of course, Village Inn is the home of ‘Free Pie Wednesday,’” Dean said. “After 25 years of scooting around the state running restaurants, I am excited to have just one to worry about, and as the owner/operator, I encourage everybody to come by, say ‘Hi,’ and see what is cooking. Back in 2004, the corporate chain was looking to expand, and I advocated for this exact location. The leadership in Denver (at the time) told me it was not a developed enough market. Well, I won the battle, we all know how developed the market is now and 20 years later I am excited to have the opportunity to own the location.”
The couple are excited to continue to grow the Village Inn brand.
“We have brought back the Friday All-You-Can-Eat Fish Fry, and it is exceeding our expectations,” Dean said. “The local chamber of commerce is doing our official ribbon-cutting at noon on October 14, and we would love to have as many Village Inn fans there as possible. Most importantly, pie reservations for Thanksgiving begin on Nov. 1.”
The Village Inn in Riverview is located at 10293 Big Bend Rd. To reserve a pie for the holidays, call 813-741-3200.
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