'Mayberry RFD' (Really Fine Dining)

“Miss Bea, I have dined in the finest restaurants, but never have I tasted food like that.”

“Oh, fiddle, faddle, it was only just pot luck.”

“Toosh toosh. It’s the magic in which it’s prepared and you have the magic touch.”

-- The Andy Griffith Show

Sometimes when Aunt Bea whipped up a home-cooked meal for Opie or Andy, you could almost smell the delicious aromas wafting through the TV screen.   The owners of Mayberry must have felt the same way, because they’ve captured the essence of Aunt Bea’s feel-good fixins and given it a modern twist.  Fresh roasted turkey dinners, buttermilk pancakes, home made meatloaf and mouthwatering burgers are just part of the scrumptious items to choose from. But the story of Mayberry’s creation also befits a classic feel-good sitcom.

A few years ago the restaurant Terri’s (owned by Terri Festa) was on the selling block.  All the employees were in fear of getting axed.  So three of its waitresses--Whitney Bridge, Holly Gratz, and Linda West—put their heads together. All three were working moms who enjoyed the flexibility of pulling shifts when they weren’t tending to their children.

“We’re all three moms and we all have kids,” said Holly. “We wanted our kids to be priority and be able to pick them up from school and take them to soccer.”

 “A friend who owns a restaurant heard that the place was up for sale, and said ‘you should buy it’, “ said Linda.

 “I figured we should ask Terri, we’re in her back pocket,” said Holly. “And I said would you consider us and she said ‘Yes, I would,'” And the rest is history.

“One of the reasons we decided to buy was because everyone was going to lose their jobs,” said Linda.  “Some of the people have been here for ten, fifteen years.  One of our employees—Rene-- watched his kids grow from babies to graduating. You don’t find many places like that. Real small, hometown places anymore.”

Besides slinging hash, the three women were fortunate to have had experience in the corporate world.  Bridge worked in advertising for Conde Nast; Gratz owned a coffee-roasting company and took part in her family’s valet business; and West had extensive restaurant experience.

“I worked in restaurants for years and years, “ Linda said. “I opened a restaurant when I was 5.”

The transition from part-time employee to full-time boss was challenging, but worth the effort.

“Well, all three of us are still waitresses and owners,” Whitney confessed. “I would say I have tremendous respect for all that Terri, accomplished. There is a lot of work behind the scenes that I didn't realize when I was only waiting tables.  I think we stay closer to our customer and our staff by remaining on the floor and not just in an office.”

So where did the name come from?      

 “We agreed that it should be one word and simple and feel good, “ saids Whitney.  “Whitney--who actually grew up in the Palisades-- said the town always reminded her of Mayberry and as soon as she said we went: “Yes! Perfect.” said Holly.

  “I grew up watching Andy Griffith,” said Whitney.  “I always felt like one of the best things about the Palisades is it's very 'small town USA.'"  

But Mayberry doesn’t necessarily represent a particular kind of cuisine. It goes deeper than that.

“It's more of a feeling,” admits Whitney.  “Having grown up in the Palisades I have people coming in that have known me since I was 5 years old.  It's pretty cool.  And all of us old timers remember what it was like when everyone knew everyone and said ‘hello’ walking down the street.”
Once the new owners took charge, they quickly put their own stamp on the establishment.

“Terri had a really good menu, we just tried to fine tune it,” Linda said.  “So the first thing we did was change all the oils, change over to organic bread, and as many fresh, organic things as we could.”   The menu includes a variety of salads, wraps, pastas and specialties, like grilled salmon, ribs, and fajitas.  Plus it’s worth mentioning the one-of-a-kind omelet’s named after each of the moms’ children. 

“I would say that our food straddles both healthy and comfort food at the same time,” said Whitney.

“Our chicken is hormone and pesticide free,” said Holly.  “We have a private butcher for our bacon and our sausages.”

 “Not only do we make things fresh everyday,” continued Linda.  “We roast our own turkey here, full on marinated roasts, all home made.”

 “Whenever I come in it’s like the whole back of the kitchen smells like Thanksgiving,” said Holly.  The owners also buy vegetables from the Farmers Market on Swarthmore Avenue each Sunday.

“We upgraded the quality and shrunk things a little bit and hence everything tastes better,” Holly added. 

As a result, Mayberry has earned a loyal following, including some resident celebrities.  Adam Sandler, Tom Hanks, Jay Mohr, Billy Crystal, and Martin Short are just a few familiar names who’ve taken a liking to Mayberry.  And what about the fictional Mayberry’s favored son?  Yes, even Ron Howard (“Opie”) has paid a visit.

“Lots of celebrities come in, but what I love about our place is that they come here just to be a Mom or Dad or a friend,” said Whitney.  “We afford them not only their privacy but we treat them like everyone else so they can just be a human, not a celebrity.”

“Only once can I remember when the paparazzi went crazy chasing Jennifer Garner and family,” Whitney said. “And Holly got right in the camera guys faces and told them to get lost.  I feel so lucky that the celebrities that do come in are warm down to earth people that appreciate what we are doing.”

“I do think there’s enough people out there that still want to go to small places that have personality and character,” Holly said. “I think that’s part of our appeal.”

“Very few places still have that hometown feel,” Linda said. “Especially in a big city. And I think that this place has that despite being near Los Angeles.”

 It’s clear that Mayberry’s three owners have created a warm, hospitable place for families and food lovers of all ages. One that would surely make Aunt Bea proud. 

Mayberry is located at 1028 Swarthmore, Pacific Palisades 90272. Phone: 310 454-6467.  Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and available for deliveries.  You can also visit them online right here.