Surely there are few little girls anywhere that have a restaurant named after them; however,  little 7 year old , Rebecca Hogan does—“Rebecca’s Family Restaurant” in Linesville.  Her parents, Barb and Roy Hogan, chose to name their new restaurant after her when they purchased the former Rosemarie’s Restaurant in February of 2007 and opened it in May of that year.   I can imagine that  Rebecca is the envy of her second grade class at Alice Schafer Elementary School!

One evening several weeks ago, I had had an appointment with my wonderful doctor, Marianne Suprys, MD whose office is just steps away from the restaurant.  As it was nearing dinnertime I decided to try Rebecca’s as I’d never been there before.

Stepping through the door, I remember experiencing a short intake of breath at my surprise.  There was a decided intangible atmosphere that struck me immediately.  I tried to put a mental finger on what it was.  I was instantly impressed by the wonderfully rugged pine and hemlock ladder back chairs and tables.  They were a refreshing change from the usual dowdy restaurant metal jungle.  A handsome brick wall looked down on customers who were enjoying dinner.  The expanse of bricks flanked a bold splash of river rock that was a backdrop for a quaint fireplace.  But none of those handsome accoutrements, while lending toward a terrific atmosphere, seemed to be responsible for what I had felt on entering.

And then I saw it!  And I wondered if the other diners could see the light bulb that surely was illuminated over my head at that moment.  Over the cash register was a quaint wooden plaque that read, “Be still and know I am” the word “God” was a large shadow behind the Bible verse.  Then I noticed another large plaque presiding serenely over the back wall.  That one proclaimed, “God shed His grace on thee.”  I speculated that perhaps I’d stepped into a rare story and as I made a menu decision, I vowed to try to interview the owner.

My next surprise was when I read a section of the menu that offered a mouth-watering listing of selections for the 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM special.  The customer pays according to the time seated.  I hastily consulted my watch and happily discovered I could have a steak dinner for $5.40?  Surely this couldn’t be true!  But my friendly and efficient waitress confirmed it was.  I hadn’t heard of such a thing since I’d lived in Arizona and restaurants in Sun City attracted customers by that kind of special.  An even bigger surprise awaited—this fare deliciously surpassed steak dinners I’d paid for by a triple amount.

As the restaurant began to fill with people, I watched the superb service offered by the two attractive waitresses who scurried to make customers feel welcome and fill their orders.  Somehow the room took on the feeling of a large family gathering.  I introduced myself to the very attractive woman who now tinkered with the A/C thermostat nearby and asked if she was Rebecca.  She giggled slightly and told me that Rebecca was her daughter.  (I had found the owner).  After complimenting her on the decor, referring to the plaques I told her I suspected there might be a story behind the inception of this business.  Barb Hogan smiled knowingly and admitted, “There’s a definite story!”  She graciously granted me an interview at a later convenient time.