Parkway restaurant suspends service

The Bluffs Restaurant at Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway will suspend food service for the remainder of the season in the interest of the safety of guests and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A water supply issue temporarily closed the restaurant at milepost 241 after its opening on Saturday, August 22. That concern has been resolved.  The restaurant is now slated to reopen in spring 2021.

“We are so grateful for the support we’ve received from Parkway visitors and the community, including those who came out for our opening day,” said Shana Whitehead of Muddy Creek Enterprises, the restaurant’s operator. “It was a difficult decision to postpone our full reopening until the spring, but we want to move forward in the safest possible way.”

Donations to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation funded extensive interior renovations to The Bluffs earlier this year after the former coffee shop had been closed for a decade. 

“Thanks to our donors, we were able to reach the milestone of restoring The Bluffs this year,” said Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. “Now the facility will be poised to welcome back diners for a full season in 2021.”

The Foundation plans to host a grand reopening in the spring of 2021 provided large gatherings are permitted at that time. In the meantime, the nonprofit is exploring options for scheduled interpretive programs at the facility.

Announcements about upcoming programs will be available at BluffsRestaurant.org.