Being a local resident myself, I always love trying a new restaurant and today I thought I would give a little insight on a local favorite, Wrightsville Inn Grill & Draft House located at 601 S. Front Street, Wrightsville, PA. While this restaurant may not be a “new” one, it currently is a favorite for many. This quaint little restaurant is right along the river with fabulously tasty food.
The family that owns this establishment has been in the food industry for generations. Ed and Ruth Myers spent years building a life of love, food and hard work ethic with their own little family. Their daughter Michelle Myers currently has a huge role in the restaurant and the catering business and their son John Myers has a restaurant of his own in the Florida Keys, Boondocks Grill and Draft House. Ed and Ruth were not strangers to the food industry—Ruth’s father had a local bar, Ruth’s sister went on to open a coffee shop in downtown York, Take 5 Coffee Shop, and Ed’s sister went into the food industry and has owned a few restaurants, bars and diners over the years including the Lincoln Bar and Grill in downtown York.
Ed and Ruth’s own path through the food industry started with owning the Fischer’s Market in downtown York at 331 S. George Street. Customers would come into the market for all of their deli needs and started inquiring about the need for party trays. This led to their catering venture in 1977 which became Creative Caterers and sparked their interest in opening a restaurant, the Wrightsville Inn Grill & Draft House.
I had the opportunity to speak with Michelle Myers, Ed and Ruth’s daughter, and found out she herself has been in the food industry her entire life. This extraordinary family has had one of the most difficult things happen, the death of Ruth Myers about 6 months ago. This has been difficult not only on the family but on the staff and the loyal customers that frequent the restaurant. For Michelle this has been probably the biggest hurdle in the business and personally she has ever had. Her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and died a week after the diagnosis during the holiday season. Michelle had to keep the family and business together with little time to grieve because it is not like the business stops. Everything keeps moving and tomorrow had to be just another day at work.
For many years people have told Michelle that “she is her mother’s daughter.” At this trying time, this puts her at ease as many still say this but include that she is filling her mother’s shoes and getting things done. She keeps this in mind each and every day. I asked her on average how many hours it takes to run a restaurant. She chuckled as she answered, too many. With this restaurant being a family business they breathe and sleep the restaurant. There isn’t a time that one of them is not discussing the business and there really isn’t much time for anything else. Michelle has been moved by the outpouring support of the many customers, staff and even prior staff over her mother’s death. She enjoys the many stories of fond memories that the customers have come in to share with her.
How to describe the Wrightsville Inn Grill & Draft house for those who haven’t experienced it: The restaurant has an eclectic menu with a little bit of every American classic. Large portions are a must for this family as they would never want anyone to leave their restaurant hungry, so be sure to come hungry. The most popular item on the menu would be their Colossal Crab Cake, per Michelle – everyone who has had it has never been disappointed and it is ordered very often. The restaurant is currently open Thursday 4-8pm, Friday and Saturday 11am-8pm and Sunday 11am-4pm. I recommend taking some time to check out this restaurant and support a local family business.
Realtors Jen and Larry Lindt 