Haywood 209 Cafe is a full-service American diner at 3360 Crabtree Road, Waynesville, NC 28785, on Highway 209 just off Interstate 40 at Exit 24. The cafe is connected to the Sam’s Mart Shell station but has its own entrance and a separate dining room. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.
The building has housed restaurants for over 30 years, serving the Ironduff community in Haywood County. The current cafe opened under the Haywood 209 name in March 2015. Drake Fultz took over as owner and operator in September 2017. The locals call it “the truck stop,” and MSN.com named it the best truck stop restaurant in North Carolina.
What Kind of Food Does Haywood 209 Cafe Serve?
The menu is traditional American diner food made from scratch. Breakfast covers eggs cooked to order, bacon, country ham, sausage, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, French toast, omelets, hashbrowns, and homefries. The biscuits and grits are the two items that show up most often in reviews.
Lunch and dinner shift to heartier plates. The regular menu includes hand-cut ribeye steaks, country-fried steak, tenderloin beef tips with mushroom gravy, cheeseburgers, blackened catfish, reubens, and chicken tips. Daily specials rotate through the week, with Friday fish fry, Saturday hand-cut ribeye, and Sunday slow-roasted pot roast as the recurring anchors.
Desserts are baked in-house daily by the cafe’s baker, known to regulars as Mamaw. Pies, cakes, brownies, cookies, and turnovers rotate by day and season. The milkshakes are hand-spun to order.
What Are the Hours for Haywood 209 Cafe?
The cafe is open Monday through Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Breakfast is served from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, breakfast runs until 2:00 p.m. Lunch and dinner service begins at 11:00 a.m. daily.
Is Haywood 209 Cafe Dog Friendly?
Dogs are welcome at the outdoor patio tables. The patio has picnic-style seating. Table service is available inside only, so orders are placed at the counter or with a server indoors.
Who Runs Haywood 209 Cafe?
Drake Fultz has been the owner and operator since September 2017. He started in the restaurant industry as a prep cook at Cracker Barrel in Asheville and spent nearly 14 years there, advancing to associate manager. He also co-founded the nonprofit Helping Haywood with Michael Coleman, which raised nearly $400,000 for Haywood County flood victims after Tropical Storm Fred in 2021.
Outside the cafe, Drake is a custom knife maker who turned the craft into a small business in 2016. He lives with his family and their dog, Spur.
How Do I Get to Haywood 209 Cafe from I-40?
Take Exit 24 off Interstate 40. Turn onto Crabtree Road (Highway 209). The cafe is on your right within a quarter mile, connected to the Sam’s Mart Shell station. The drive from the interstate to a parking spot takes about 60 seconds. Truck parking is available at the truck stop directly across Highway 209.
Phone: (828) 627-3331. Address: 3360 Crabtree Road, Waynesville, NC 28785.
