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By Page H. Gifford
Fluvanna Review
June 25, 2009
Rivahsyde has hit Fluvanna County! It is not misspelled, it is to distinguish it from its cousin restaurant in Charlottesville. Riverside, owned by Buster Taylor in Forest Lakes, was the inspiration for owner Ken Duncan's Rivahsyde. He liked what Taylor did with his place that he wanted to bring that kind of eatery to the lake.
“It has a wonderful reputation, they stay so busy, it's a zoo, the place [Riverside] is always busy, wall to wall with customers, not a vacant seat in the place. I want to come close to cloning it but I have changed my menu,” said Duncan, who is friendly, oozing southern charm.
Joining Duncan in this venture is Steve Herr, his former head cook at Tiffany's in Charlottesville. Tiffany's, catering to seafood lovers, is one of Duncan's successes.
“I had been a cook at Tiffany's for 15 years,” said Herr. “Seafood is very different from what I will be doing here, seafood requires more steps to making dishes. I needed a change,” said the former U.S. Army cook.
Duncan also hired another staff member who had been at the original Riverside for 11 years.
“I want this to be a family oriented place with soccer moms and little leaguers,” Duncan said.
While speaking with Duncan, there is no doubt that his vision will become a reality, he is dedicated to his customers and like many of the other area restaurant owners, he shares their commitment to customer satisfaction.
As everyone knows by now, Rivahsyde is serving up some juicy hamburgers with a side of hot, crispy fries. The long-awaited burger place had many speculating what it would be like and what will be served. Now they don't have to wonder since its grand opening was on June 22. They offer more than just burgers, there are hot sandwiches, deli items, chicken salad, egg salad, all kinds of sides and other salads, assorted pies and cakes and milkshakes.
Duncan also stresses the freshness of his food.
“All the beef for the hamburgers will come in daily from E.W. Thomas. I believe in buying local. Our Philly Cheesesteak is not frozen either, but fresh. Nothing is frozen. Once you freeze it, it loses its taste,” said Duncan.
Besides soda, they will also be serving beer and wine. Duncan also mentioned that there is not just one waiter or waitress per table but servers who may get different orders, rotating around the room, creating faster and more efficient service so no one is waiting.
Co-owner with his wife Celeste, Duncan's background is in real estate, counting his blessings he got out at the right time. A native Virginian, he is genuine in his belief that it is important to become part of the Fluvanna community and wants to be supportive.
The Duncans ended up in the restaurant business when they retired from their careers, he in real estate and her from National Ground Intelligence. They decided they still needed some retirement income and heard about Tiffany's. It was a successful restaurant but its owner passed away and the daughter wanted to sell the business but had also considered shutting it down when the Duncans bought the business.
It's obvious that Duncan knows a winner when he sees one. He's hoping this venture will be another winner too, with his belief in quality and customer service, he can't lose.
The restaurant also offers a take-out menu. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. For more information, call 589-1004.
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