Adrienne Thomas felt it was time for a change.
Stepping outside after work, tired from another night of bartending, she glanced across the street and noticed the for sale sign in the window of the Bridgestreet Restaurant in Cameron.
A Cameron native, Thomas grew up eating at Bridgestreet. She knew the quality of food it offered, the service, and the loyalty of its customers. She and her husband Brian also knew the owners as they are friends of the family.
It gave her a moment’s pause, and the wheels started turning.
“They were ready to retire and put a for sale sign up, and my husband and I, we thought, why not take on a new venture,” Thomas said. “I was bartending across the street, and I called my husband, and said I want to buy the restaurant. He laughed, but I said I was serious. We could make our own hours, work our own schedule and try a new adventure.”
That adventure began in November 2017, when Adrienne and her husband were handed the keys and the reigns to one of the top eateries in town.
Three years ago, and yes, Thomas does get to set her own schedule; she now works “a lot.”
“I’m there all the time,” Thomas said. “I’m one of the workers. I usually cook, or I’ll serve sometimes. I do a little bit of everything.”
She admitted she does get more sleep, but with increased sleep also comes increased worry. Brian kept his day job in Moundsville, but the restaurant is the Thomas’ livelihood, as it is for their employees. So, there’s no managing from the sidelines for Adrienne.
Quality Food, Hometown Feel
Cameron is a small, friendly town of roughly 1,000 residents. The closest bigger city, Moundsville, is about a 20-30 minute trek; Wheeling is further at 45 minutes; New Martinsville close to an hour.
What that means is while out of towners can and do frequent Bridgestreet, the bulk of clientele is comprised of Cameron residents.
With a smaller immediate customer base, serving good food and keeping diners happy is paramount. Judging from the number of regulars who make a stop at Bridgestreet not just a weekly, but a daily occurrence, Adrienne, Brian, and their staff are continuing on the tradition.
“We have a great breakfast crew. Every morning, there is a group of guys that come in,” Thomas said. “And there is one gentleman who comes in as we’re opening up. He takes his coffee and will sit in the dark and talk to me while we’re getting everything fired up.
“There’s also a group of ladies; they come every single day. They have their routine.”
The staff members know the customers and vice versa, which makes it easier to go that extra mile to provide top-quality service.
Think of the menu as traditional diner meets homestyle cooking, with a few wrinkles thrown in. Like a quality diner, there are daily specials that are always a hit. Thomas noted Bridgestreet does sell a lot of wraps, a lot of wings, and it does offer pizza. But as stated, the specials are a big hit.
“We usually sell out of our specials,” Thomas said. “The creamed chicken, that was a big hit. We have a little bit of everything on the menu. Our Sunday dinners are a bit hit, too, and we try to keep the portions big and filling, but at a low price.”
And speaking of wings, there are few, if any, other places where you can order wings where the cost is cheaper than $1 per wing. At Bridgestreet? You can order a dozen for $8.99.
She also noted that a new cook recently hired on has some talent in the art of pasta.
“I’ve gotten told our spaghetti is literally the best people have ever had,” Thomas said. “And I’m like ‘it’s just spaghetti,’ but I tried it and wow. We do make some awesome spaghetti.”
An example of one of Bridgestreet’s daily specials 
Bridgestreet’s regulars rave about the restaurant’s wraps.
People Make the Difference
Thomas has come to depend on her talented staff, full of both newer employees and some who’ve been at Bridgestreet far longer than she has.
“They are beyond amazing,” Thomas said of her staff. “There are a few who I consider my go-to people that have worked there longer than I have. It’s been crazy busy, too, and we just have incredible workers.
“They are willing to multi-task in whatever I throw at them.”
Thomas also tries to lead by example. She’s there at Bridgestreet six days a week. She’s not one to stand and point fingers while shouting orders. She gets down in the thick of it and works alongside her staff.
“I’m definitely not a sit-in-the-office boss with a cold drink in my hand and let everyone else do the work,” she said with a laugh.
That might be kind of difficult anyway as her office has become the facility’s catch-all. Room to relax is not available.
Speaking of people, Thomas can’t say enough about her customers or the town.
Bridgestreet, like most restaurants, struggled during the heart of the pandemic closures and restrictions. While the restaurant was strictly takeout, it was basically just Thomas and another employee, two at a time, from March until mid-summer, when it opened back up fully. That helped save the business, but so did a few gestures from the townspeople.
Local workers from the nursing home and the school started coming daily to order takeout. A collection was also taken up, and when Thomas was handed a check from members of the community that she serves, she admittedly got a little misty-eyed.
“I’m not an emotional kind of person, but that brought some tears to my eyes,” she said. “When they handed us a check that they gathered all on their own, it was such a surprise to us. But they took it upon themselves to help our business. We certainly didn’t expect that, but it was greatly appreciated.”
They take care of their own in Cameron, and for anyone that’s spent more than five minutes in town, that fact becomes evident fairly quickly. Good people abound.
Just like the food.
For more information, visit Bridgestreet Restaurant on Facebook or stop down and visit. It’s located at 4 Bridge St. in Cameron, W.Va. It’s open 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sunday.
