Roadside restaurants abound

Along U.S. 1, motorists will find scores of restaurants, but only one has Mom cooking in the kitchen.

Mary Elizabeth Brown, 76, has been cooking at Allman’s Bar-B-Q in Fredericksburg for almost 50 years. She works six days a week, cooking and whipping up the tangy barbecue sauce and the tasty cole slaw with her secret recipes. The sign on the kitchen door says “Mom’s Kitchen.“ Her smile lights up the dining room.

Owner Matt Haney calls Brown “the bedrock of our business.“

“I love it,“ Brown said. “I’ve been blessed by the good Lord and haven’t called in sick in more than 30 years.“

Allman’s is a landmark, having opened in 1954 in the same small building. Haney’s family purchased it in 1986. The restaurant has a few booths and tables, as well as a counter with stools. A waitress slings each order, clipped to an overhead cable, into the kitchen to mom.

So, Mom, what’s in the cole slaw?

“I ain’t telling you!“ she said with a laugh.