Restaurant

Plans for a Golden Corral restaurant were approved Monday night by the Washington County Planning Commission. The 1,661-square-foot restaurant is to be built at Valley Mall, near Firestone, according to plans. It will have access to interior roads in the mall, and the developer will add 149 parking spaces for the restaurant. Plans estimate that the restaurant will serve 1,000 customers per day.

Winter Street Elementary School benefited from the first of two annual "Roy Rogers Nights" earlier this month at the restaurant on Burhans Boulevard. The school and restaurant have partnered for more than five years on various projects and fundraisers, according to a press release from Washington County Public Schools. The restaurant organized special activities for children, including a clown creating balloon puppets. A percentage of sales produced more than $200 for the school.

The Steakout in downtown Hagerstown has closed, said David Jones, a partner in the business. The restaurant at 12 E. Washington St. opened in October 1999. The adjacent Speakeasy Lounge was launched in February. The restaurant and lounge closed about 10 days ago, Jones said. His partner, Chip Snyder, did not return phone calls Friday or Monday. - Scott Butki

FREDERICK, Md. -- The Frederick County Bureau of Investigations is investigating an armed robbery early Monday at the TGI Friday's restaurant at 5285 Buckeystown Pike. The robbery was reported at about 12:45 a.m., according to a news release. The investigation revealed that an unknown male brandished a handgun and confronted several employees demanding money, the release said. The man stole an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the area, the release said. Anyone with information about this crime should contact Trooper 1st Class Chris Plumadore at 301-600-4173.

HAGERSTOWN -- The Burhans Station restaurant in Hagerstown was sold at auction Monday afternoon to a Pennsylvania businessman. Angelo Scavone of Huntingdon County, Pa., bought the building, chairs, tables, televisions and everything else that was inside the former Burhans Station for $200,000. He will pay an additional $20,000, or 10 percent, commission to American Auctions & Appraisals Inc. of Westminster, Md. Scavone said after the auction that he intends to open a restaurant that serves American and Italian cuisine.

Name of business: Pollo Rico Owner: Santos Diaz Address: 116 W. Franklin St., Hagerstown Opening date: July 7 Products and services: Tex-Mex, Latin food, rotisserie chicken, steak and cheese, breakfast. Market area: Hagerstown How did you get into your business, or what motivated you to start it? "We wanted to offer healthy food for working-class people. " Number of employees: 3 Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Sunday Phone number: 301-791-2333

o If you like reading Tim Rowland, you'll love watching him. See what else Tim has to say I was analyzing the New York Times for liberal bias when I stumbled upon a list of "One hundred things restaurant staffers should never do," which was part of a series on the art of running a small business. It's not a bad list, but it needs some modification and accentuation based on my experience as a hard-core restaurant user over the years. For example: 1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting.

FUNKSTOWN - While the smell of food drifting from the rear of the Funkstown Fire Hall isn't unusual, it's who is doing the cooking that's attracting attention these days. The Firehouse Grill opened Jan. 8 under the joint ownership of two couples - Larry and Robin Iseminger and Bob "Buddy" Rodgers and his wife, Kim. "I just got tired of working for other people," said Robin Iseminger. The couples are renting the space from the fire company. Food is served Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. "We won't be open on the weekends," Robin Iseminger said.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - When I heard about the opening of yet another restaurant specializing in Italian food, I admit a chip appeared on my shoulder. I like Italian food as much as the next reviewer, but a) there are already plenty of Italian restaurants in the greater Hagerstown area, and b) most of the Italian dishes in this area are Americanized versions of the dishes I ate in Italy. So I went to Martinsburg with a bit of an attitude to check out the new Corleone Ristorante.

A nearly 240-year-old building next to Hagerstown Speedway east of Clear Spring is housing a new bar and restaurant that is scheduled to open Saturday. A luncheon and ribbon-cutting ceremony were held at Thunder Road Bar and Grille, at 15124 National Pike on Tuesday. The Washington County Commissioners and other county officials attended. The restaurant is in a building that opened in 1778 as a hotel for people traveling by horseback and has since served as a hospital, nursing home, and various other restaurants, said Jim Mills, director of marketing and events for the restaurant.