By Clay Waldron – Originally published in the 2011 Founder’s Review Magazine
“Listening to what your customers want is the most important thing to do when you have a restaurant,” said Mary Rinehart of Mary’s Place. “If someone asks us to make something that’s not on the menu, we’ll make it.”
Mary, originally from Tennessee, moved to Belleview from Miami in 1986. Before coming to Belleview, she worked as a waitress at various diners in the places she had lived. She started working at The Clock Restaurant in October 1986 and also held a job at Donna’s Diner at the same time. It wasn’t long before Mary became friends with her customers and learned who was who in town.
Her next stop in Belleview was the Belleview Diner, where she started working when Dottie Wilson owned the restaurant. In 2001, customers encouraged Mary to buy the diner, so she did. “The restaurant had changed hands, and the owner, Dale Richardson—a schoolteacher who didn’t work in the restaurant full-time—was ready to sell,” Mary explained.
Once she bought the restaurant, she made changes, starting with renaming it Mary’s Place. Along with the new name came a 24/7 workload. “There’s a lot more to do compared to just being a waitress. You have to be here all the time; you don’t leave the job.”
Tommy Gafford has been with Mary since the beginning. “We’ve been together 22 years,” she said. “He handles personal relations and does a lot of the work. He’s the last one to leave, seven days a week, and I think he works harder than anyone else.”
Despite the demands, Mary finds the work rewarding. “It’s a lot of work, but we like it, and it’s fun. We have a lot of loyal local customers; some have been coming here since 1986. I like that Mary’s Place is small. I wouldn’t want a big restaurant. We get to know our customers like family and have watched their kids grow up—and now their kids are having kids.”
Some of their most popular dishes over the years have been the Cuban sandwich, the steak sandwich, and biscuits and gravy. “I think a lot of people enjoy the variety of sides we offer,” Mary added. “We also make a homemade rye bread that’s a customer favorite.”
Losing customers, however, is the hardest part of the business. “Our customers become extended family, and we see some of them more often than our own families. When we lose one of our regulars, it’s hard on all of us here. We’ve lost so many in the last few years, far too many to name.”
