Weaver Serves Up History and Hospitality

For the past year, Teresa Weaver of Martinsville has been working to revive a local restaurant that is small in size but big in personality. A former realtor, Teresa always wanted to own a restaurant and when the opportunity presented itself to own a small diner in Martinsville, she couldn't say no. 

Snow's Sandwich Shop & Flat Top Grille on Memorial Boulevard originally opened in 1933. Operated for more than 30 years by Snow Mayhew and his longtime aide Bessie Collie (both pictured below), the small diner was known for its sandwiches and hot dogs.

After Snow, Doug Chappell (pictured below) took the reins for 33 more years and was known for his famous "Doug Dogs".

While owners have changed throughout the years, the small diner has remained mostly the same which adds to its authentic retro feel.

• 
  Snow Mayhew & Bessie Collie
• 
  Doug Chappell

I checked out Snow's recently after being invited to lunch by a friend. When I pulled up to park outside the red brick building, I couldn't help but laugh at the signage outside that listed featured products: "Hot Dogs... Soft Drinks, B.S. Free!" I could tell this place was going to be full of personality. 

Inside, a row of stools line the counter on one side of the diner, two tables with chairs fill the middle and three bright red booths line the other wall. Above the booths is a bulletin board with vintage photos of Snow's patrons throughout the years. It consists of literally thousands of tiny cut-out photos in a collage format that make up this who's who list of customers. (We're sharing more of these photos on our Facebook page so hop on over and tag your friends!)

Teresa has a warm smile, an outgoing personality and she knows all her regular customers by name. I instantly felt welcomed as I pulled up to the counter on a stool. At first I looked up at a large wooden menu on the wall, but I then realized something was not right when it stated that hot dogs were 20 cents.

The menu board is an artifact from the diner's past that Teresa found in the attic. She believes it to be the original menu from when Snow's opened. Teresa is still researching the colorful past of this diner and loves talking about information that she has discovered. It was fascinating to hear her tell about the past owners and a time gone by. She keeps the laminated photo of Snow Mayhew behind the counter for such occasions when she has the opportunity to tell about the diner's namesake. 

Teresa quickly gave me the current menu on paper which features hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken salad. She also told us about the day's specials which included hash brown casserole, chicken tortilla soup and mac n' cheese. You can follow Snow's on Facebook to see the specials each day and visit her at Restaurants.com for coupons.

On this visit, I decided to try the cheeseburger with bacon and fried potatoes off of the menu. Loaded down with lettuce, tomato, cheese and bacon and cooked to perfection: this burger was great.

A one-woman operation, she quickly prepared our meal while simultaneously greeting new customers, taking orders and making sure that everyone was well taken care of with refills. You couldn't help but smile at her cheerful banter. 

For those wishing to indulge their sweet tooth, Teresa had baked coconut chiffon cake, French silk pie, German chocolate cake and cinnamon cake. Oh my! I didn't have room for desert, but they all looked delicious. 

The food was tasty, prices were reasonable and you can't beat the great feeling of being sincerely welcomed. Overall, my first trip to Snow's Sandwich Shop & Flat Top Grille was a success, and I look forward to going back again.