{"id":2599,"date":"2022-05-22T11:33:18","date_gmt":"2022-05-22T15:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montgomerymag.com\/?p=2599"},"modified":"2022-05-22T11:35:22","modified_gmt":"2022-05-22T15:35:22","slug":"where-everybody-knows-somebodys-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montgomerymag.com\/where-everybody-knows-somebodys-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Where everybody knows somebody\u2019s name"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
\u201cLife\u2019s about relationships. And we really cultivate that,\u201d Bernie Moxley says. Photo by David Stuck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photos by David Stuck<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dig into a plate of chicken and waffles at Tom and Ray\u2019s in Damascus and you\u2019ll notice that almost every other diner knows someone else \u2014 a long-time customer who\u2019s friends with the servers, or two neighbors who happened to come in at the same time.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise to the regulars. Tom and Ray\u2019s Family Restaurant has been a small-town fixture since 1960.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re what I call a life cycle restaurant,\u201d says owner Bernie Moxley. \u201cWe\u2019ve had people come in who just had to bury a loved one that used to be a Tom and Ray\u2019s customer. We have people whose parents brought them here when they were a child, and now they\u2019re bringing their children. We have new citizens in the area that come in and really enjoy what we\u2019re about. It\u2019s really about community, and people feeling comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moxley says that mornings and early afternoons are when the \u201colder folks\u201d usually come in. Students from nearby Damascus High School flood in during the late afternoon. The weekends are typically family time. But no matter the demographic, Moxley says the friendships between servers and customers are part of the Tom and Ray\u2019s ambience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to talk to people and our customers love talking to our servers,\u201d Moxley says. \u201cLife\u2019s about relationships. And we really cultivate that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom and Ray\u2019s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and, if you have room, dessert. Moxley says the homemade milkshake with whipped cream and a cherry is a customer favorite.<\/p>\n

The current location on Main Street, with its subway tiles and wood from a 19th century barn, opened in 2019. The walls are decorated with old photos of Damascus (population 17,000) and portraits of person town, and portraits of Tom Bellison and Ray Luhn, who opened the restaurant in 1960.<\/p>\n

Gary Bellison, Tom Bellison\u2019s grandson, eventually took over the diner, but closed it in 2016. Soon after, he approached Moxley and his wife, Traci Moxley, to reopen Tom and Ray\u2019s. Moxley likes to say that the food he serves is as good as what Tom and Ray put on their customers\u2019 tables. He said he takes pride in serving homemade dishes made from local ingredients.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Moxley with staff, from left, Sam McIlvaine, Dalet Rodriguez and Lucy Meng, Photo by David Stuck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cA lot of restaurants have abandoned homestyle cooking because it\u2019s just too expensive,\u201d Moxley says. \u201cThey say, \u2018We\u2019ll just get it out of a bag or a can.\u2019 We resist that as much as humanly possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fried chicken tenders marinate in buttermilk for 24 hours for the chicken and waffles and are hand battered. Their meats come from local farms. All of their baked goods and desserts \u2014 from their strawberry pie to the chocolate cheesecake \u2014 are made fresh on the premises.<\/p>\n

Do you want to hear about the specials? How about a hot open-faced turkey sandwich served with dressing and homemade mashed potatoes? Moxley calls it \u201cThanksgiving on a piece of bread.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of Tom and Ray\u2019s employees are students at Damascus High School. Moxley himself started working at the restaurant when he was a junior at the high school in 1978.<\/p>\n

With such a deep connection to the community, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant hosted 36 free food distribution events. Moxley says there were long-time customers who were struggling, some of whom had lost their jobs. He wanted Tom and Ray\u2019s to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though it was very difficult for us as a restaurant during that time, when you\u2019re a part of that community you\u2019ve got to give to that community,\u201d Moxley says.<\/p>\n

Moxley recalls a couple who came into the restaurant in early 2022 and thanked him for the food Tom and Ray\u2019s provided for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get chills talking about it,\u201d Moxley says. \u201cIt\u2019s that impact. It\u2019s the fact that you had a positive influence on people\u2019s lives and you\u2019re there when they need you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom & Rays<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

9805 Main Street Suite 206<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Damascus, MD 20872<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

240-509-3300<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

tomandraysdamascus@gmail.com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

akrutchik@midatlanticmedia.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photos by David Stuck Dig into a plate of chicken and waffles at Tom and Ray\u2019s in Damascus and you\u2019ll notice that almost every other diner knows someone else \u2014 a long-time customer who\u2019s friends with the servers, or two neighbors who happened to come in at the same time. It\u2019s no surprise to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":2606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,61],"tags":[412,411,410,409],"yoast_head":"\nWhere everybody knows somebody\u2019s name - Montgomery Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.montgomerymag.com\/where-everybody-knows-somebodys-name\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Where everybody knows somebody\u2019s name - Montgomery Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Photos by David Stuck Dig into a plate of chicken and waffles at Tom and Ray\u2019s in Damascus and you\u2019ll notice that almost every other diner knows someone else \u2014 a long-time customer who\u2019s friends with the servers, or two neighbors who happened to come in at the same time. 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