By Robert King -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER — Previously, if you wanted to eat at the Winchester Travelodge's banquet hall you had to be part of a city organization or hold an invite to a wedding or other event.

But roughly seven weeks ago, the Travelodge's banquet facilities opened to the public with a Sunday buffet.

"It's doing good," said Gary Loy, chef and banquet manager at the Travelodge, located on Front Royal Pike near the I-81 interchange. "I am very pleased so far."

The Travelodge originally opened in 1986, and Loy has been cooking for the hotel since that year.

The banquet facilities usually cater to certain Winchester clubs and organizations, such as the Kiwanis, Exchange Club and Rotary Club.

The facilities are also used for special events, such as weddings or other gatherings.

The new owners of the Travelodge asked Loy what he could do differently regarding the banquet facilities.

"I made it on my own to open to the public," he said.

Loy offers a buffet every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Last week he offered a seafood and prime rib buffet.

"Hopefully with everything on there it ought to be good," Loy said. "I have shrimp and some prime rib and barbecued pork rib [and] baked flounder."

The meals on the buffet will change every week, Loy said.

"I am mixing it up," he said. "Every week it is changed. I won't have the same thing twice for a few months."

Loy, who has been a chef in Winchester for years, said he could bring versatility to the buffet.

"I can cook just about anything," he said. "I have done some gourmet cooking. We do a lot of baking here now. Just about anything I can cook regardless of what it is."

The meals will always resemble a home-cooked meal.

"It seems like it draws more people," Loy said of the home-cooked fare.

The price for a regular buffet is $10.95. Prices may vary for some buffets such as the seafood and prime rib buffet, which costs $16.95, Loy said.

Keeping the prices affordable is important to Loy and the burgeoning business.

"Winchester has always been like a country town," he said. "To have affordable prices where people can go out and have a nice dinner and not spend a lot of money, I think that is good to offer the public the kind of service we have here."

Loy is also exploring opening the banquet facilities for more than just on Sundays.

"I like to see things done differently all the time," he said. "I'm thinking about doing a few dances such as sock hops with dinner and music. The days [we] don't have banquets I think that is something people would enjoy."

Loy said he isn't worried about competition from nearby restaurants, and expects the Sunday buffet business to continue to grow.

"It doesn't bother me how much comes into the area," he said. "I would like to think with the changes we have coming up [and] different ideas, I believe things will pick up and really grow."

The addition of a Sunday buffet has added costs.

"The way things [are] today with everything going up it is hard to control the costs," Loy said. "I always say as long as you are paying the bills, and keeping the wolves away, you are all right. Business has increased and we are very pleased with everything like that."

He also thinks the business will grow from word of mouth.

"There's always a different way of getting people in," he said. "The word of mouth is always a good thing. Once people come in and figure out how good the stuff is, I figure it will go from there on."

For more information about the Sunday buffet, call 665-0685. No reservations are required. The banquet facilities are located on the third floor of the Travelodge Hotel, located at 160 Front Royal Pike. The buffet may be canceled some Sundays for special events.