Preston’s Restaurant unveils fall menu and innovative safety measures

Preston’s Restaurant, located inside The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, has introduced its fall menu as well as innovative safety measures designed to ensure customer and employee safety.

“We’re excited to start offering our fall menu,” Executive Chef Scott Watson said. “The culinary team has been able to experiment, and we’ve come up with some new and unique recipes that fit well with this time of year. I think people are really going to enjoy it.”

New additions include British-inspired fish and chips, a Blacksburg bánh mì sandwich, and Watson’s award-winning venison chili.

“Many people enjoy comfort foods in the fall, and our new menu caters to that,” Watson said. “We designed the menu using seasonal ingredients to give people great dishes to enjoy as the weather turns cooler.”

Preston’s also continues to implement new measures to ensure the safety of all its guests and employees. In addition to limiting the number of diners and ensuring that tables are at least 6 feet apart, Preston’s is now using QR codes for paperless menus. The codes can be read by smartphones to quickly access a digital version of the menu. Along with single-use paper menus available for diners who request them, the new virtual menus help limit cross-contamination.

Watson says the restaurant’s staff have also created new ways of providing service. For example, Preston’s now offers bento-style boxes for meeting attendees. Commonly used for takeout or home-packed meals in Asian cuisines, bento boxes can include a variety of main and side dishes. “By using the bento boxes, we can serve guests their entire meal in individualized boxes, reducing the need to use additional china,” Watson said.

Another way Preston’s has adapted is by shifting its much-loved buffet line to an attended buffet, where servers will put food on diners’ plates for them in order to limit the number of people touching the utensils. 

“With options to safely serve groups of any size and with private dining rooms available, Preston’s is an ideal spot for your next lunch or dinner meeting,” Watson said.

In addition to the fall menu, Preston’s is offering a takeout option for Thanksgiving in lieu of its traditional Grand Thanksgiving Buffet. Diners can order a Thanksgiving meal that includes turkey, traditional sides, and desserts to enjoy in the comfort of their own home.

Pre-orders are required and must be placed by Nov. 19 for Thanksgiving Day pickup. Call 540-231-0120 to order.

Written by Isaac Rife