This family diner has offered old-fashioned food at old-fashioned prices since 1958.
written by Rachel Henderson
photographed by Carla Witt Ford
One part Grandma’s kitchen and one part classic American diner, Ruby and Ketchy’s Restaurant in Cheat Lake is as inviting now as it was when Ruby herself opened the doors more than 50 years ago. Green and white gingham curtains frame the windows, wood paneled walls warm the intimate space, red leather stools give a vintage vibe around the L-shaped bar, and a stone hearth over the fireplace invites you to gather around with friends over a bowl of hot, homemade soup. The soft hum of conversation never stops as families wander in and take their places at one of the wooden booths or longtime regulars stake their claim at the bar and check in with the waitresses who are more friends than strangers. “People consider us a family place where you can come in, grab a newspaper, sit down, read it, and just feel like you’re sitting around your own kitchen table,” says co-owner Judy Frum.
Known for homemade fare, much of which is still made from recipes that founder Ruby created in her lifetime, Ruby and Ketchy’s draws people in seven days a week for warm, gooey cinnamon rolls and biscuits smothered in sausage gravy in the mornings and daily lunch and dinner specials like potato soup with grilled cheese, meatloaf, stuffed cabbage, and hot roast beef with gravy and a side of potatoes. Prep cook Vivien Smith, who has taken Ruby’s place in the kitchen, makes things like vegetable soup and chili from scratch, as well as all of the restaurant’s fruit pies, including cherry, apple, peachberry, and the ever-popular blackberry, and meringue pies like chocolate, lemon, and coconut.
The restaurant has been welcoming visitors and regulars for nearly 60 years. Judy says, “It’s a blessing from somebody up above who is looking down on us.” That, and the loyalty of customers, some of whom have been coming back regularly for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sometimes all of the above, every day for decades. “We have good employees, and we have our regulars—it’s like a family,” says Judy. “And we’ll keep our doors open as long as we can.”
No one really knows why Ruby opened the restaurant in 1958, but the Morgantown native decided owning and operating her own business was what she wanted to do, and history has it that Ruby usually had her way. “Ruby was very petite, but when she said something, you knew to listen,” Judy says with a chuckle. “Everybody always said it was Ruby’s way or the highway, but she was a very fair and good-hearted woman.” As sole proprietor for many years, Ruby did all of the cooking herself, and eventually, over the years, hired different family members to help. When her husband, Ketchy, a fellow Morgantown native, retired after 48 years from the old Beaumont Glass Factory on Beechurst Avenue, he joined her at the restaurant and worked the front of the diner, greeting folks as they wandered in.
When Ruby’s health started to fail in the early ’90s, Judy says, “Ruby was always there if she felt up to it. She was there until she couldn’t be there anymore.”
The restaurant’s namesake passed in 1992, and Ketchy followed in 1996. The business stayed in the family as Ruby’s son Jim Frum, Judy’s husband, became the sole manager in 1995, and then Doris Clise, Ruby’s daughter, took over after Jim’s sudden passing. Judy, Jim’s widower and Ruby’s daughter-in-law, finally took over as daily operations manager and gave it her all for 15 years before retiring in June 2012. Today, the restaurant is co-owned by silent partners Les Nicholson, one of Ruby and Ketchy’s sons, Doris, and Judy, who still helps when necessary. Day-to-day operations are managed by Vivien, Judy Kennison, and Debbie McClead—three women who have served at Ruby and Ketchy’s for more than 50 years combined. “They’re a good group of people,” Judy says. “I’m lucky to have gals down there who I can trust.”
Though things like road construction and the temporary closing of Ices Ferry Bridge have slowed business at Ruby and Ketchy’s, Judy is grateful. “The restaurant is clicking along pretty well.” After all, there will always be the regulars and the younger crowd who come back for the Mom-and-Pop atmosphere. “The younger generation is much more health conscious,” Judy says. “But every once in a while, on a rainy day or when you’ve had a rough time, everyone needs comfort food.”
Located off of I-68 Exit 10 via County Route 857, Ruby & Ketchy’s is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
