Homestyle cooking

Village Inn is a nationwide, household name well-recognized for its house-made pies and made-to-order breakfasts. Founded in 1958, the restaurant has grown to approximately 200 restaurants across the country, but the locations in Northwest Arkansas are overseen by local hospitality specialist George Babb.

Babb opened his first Village Inn restaurant in Fayetteville in 1994 and was recognized as 2013 Franchisee of the Year for his dedication to customer service and willingness to strive for improvement.

Recently, the Bentonville store underwent a complete interior redesign with new chairs, tables and lighting, among other upgrades.

"We want to keep our restaurants fresh and keep it comfortable for our customers. It's all about providing the best experience for our customers," marketing specialist Alice Walker said.

The locally-owned franchise serves homestyle meals including hand-patted burgers, hand-battered cod fillets and freshly prepared salads.

The breakfast menu is served all day and includes made-from-scratch crepes, Southwest favorites, eggs Benedict and savory skillets with country potatoes and farm-fresh eggs.

"The skillet is the core of Village Inn and how it started. The restaurant is famous for their skillets and are registered skillet experts," Walker said.

A chicken-fried steak skillet is one of the features currently. The chicken-fried steak is also offered with a biscuit platter; stuffed in a country omelet; served with pancakes, hashbrowns and eggs; and cradled in an egg-sandwich.

Cooked-to-order breakfast classics include French toast, Belgian waffles, omelets, fresh-baked biscuits and made-from-scratch buttermilk pancakes.

"We are the only national restaurant to make our own pancake batter from scratch, not from a mix," Walker said.

There are garden-fresh salads, including chicken Caesar, Cobb, chef and Southwest salads.

Sandwiches include French beef dip, marbled-rye Reuben, albacore tuna melt and chicken ranch club.

Specialty burgers are served on grilled brioche and can be topped with just about anything -- choices include fried onion rings, sliced avocado, pickled jalapenos, a fried egg and beef chili.

Comfort food offerings include a classic chicken pot pie with a flaky pie crust, chicken-fried chicken, slow-roasted turkey with all the fixings and chopped steak with mushrooms and brown gravy.

"When you dine at Village Inn, you get meals made with fresh ingredients as if you made it in your own kitchen," Walker said.

Homestyle meals such as smothered chicken or chopped steak include two sides, a cup of soup and a side salad. Additional options include chicken-fried steak, grilled center-cut pork chops or a top sirloin steak grilled in garlic.

Seafood entrees include golden-fried shrimp, grilled fish of the day or fish and chips. Unlimited, hand-battered, fried cod with seasoned fries, coleslaw and tarter sauce is served 5-9 p.m. on Fridays for $11.99.

For health-conscious patrons, Village Inn has several menu items labeled with less than 550 calories. A separate breakfast menu presents more than 30 items for a build-your-own breakfast of four popular items for $7.79.

There is also a Pick 2 Lunch My Way Combo that offers select sandwiches, salads and soups. Selections include a variety of sandwiches including chipotle turkey salad flatbread, Grown-up grilled cheese, Pittsburgh Philly flatbread or a tuna melt. Fresh salads and soups are also available.

The pie selection has numerous staples and several seasonal selections. On Wednesdays, customers that dine in between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. get a free slice of double-crust fruit pie or feature pie with any purchase. Current offerings include lemon meringue, white chocolate cherry dream or blackberry lattice.

A seasonal favorite, European Truffle pie, will be available for a limited time starting March 15.

Pie is available by the slice or as a whole pie and can also be pre-ordered online.

Village Inn in Fayetteville is open 6 a.m.-midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 24 hours on Friday and Saturday. The Bentonville location is open 6 a.m.-midnight daily.

More information and the menu is available at villageinn.com.