Spelunker's Frozen Custard & Cavern Burgers, more commonly known as Spelunker's, is a 100-seat

fast-food restaurant A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food, fast-food cuisine and has minimal Foodservice#Table service, table service. The food served ...

Front Royal, Virginia Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was estimated at 15,400 as of 2023. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to beco ...

, near the north entrance to

Shenandoah National Park Shenandoah National Park (often ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States that encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The park is long and narrow, with the Shenandoah River and its ...

Skyline Drive Skyline Drive is a National Parkway that runs the entire length of the National Park Service's Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, generally along the ridge of the mountains. The drive's northern terminus is at ...

. The restaurant specializes in burgers and

frozen custard Frozen custard is a frozen dessert that is a type of ice cream that is made with egg yolks in addition to cream and sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and an additional flavoring such as cocoa, vanilla, or fruit such as strawberries ...

. It was opened in 2002 by husband and wife, Steve and April Antonelli, in a former

Long John Silver's Long John Silver's, formerly known as Long John Silver's Seafood Shoppes and sometimes abbreviated as LJS, is an American chain of fast-food restaurants that specializes in seafood. The brand's name is derived from the character of the same n ...

building, Spelunker's has become a very popular food destination for locals who eat burgers made of

chuck steak Chuck steak is a cut of beef and is part of the sub-prime cut known as the chuck. The typical chuck steak is a rectangular cut, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick and containing parts of the shoulder bones of a cattle, and is often known as a " 7- ...

and

brisket Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts, though the definition of the cut differs internationally. The brisket muscles include the Pectoralis major, superficial ...

, as well as a variety of frozen custard flavors, including a flavor of the day. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, many restaurants suffered financially, but because of the drive-thru service and orders taken from the parking lot, Spelunker's business was minimally impacted. The restaurant has been praised by a ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' food critic, and other media outlets have included it on lists of places to eat when visiting the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...

History

Spelunker's Frozen Custard & Cavern Burgers, more commonly known as Spelunker's, is located at 116 South Street in

, near the north entrance to

. Since opening in 2002, the restaurant has gained a strong following from repeat customers. The restaurant has stayed in the Antonelli family, with Bill Antonelli being the owner, and his son and daughter-in-law, Steve and April Antonelli, serving as co-founders and managers. The couple looked at commercial properties in Front Royal and the

area, and after seeing a former

available, they thought it would be a perfect location, even though it had a drive-thru the couple wasn't sure they needed. During Steve's childhood he would eat

with his dad at the Frozen Dairy Bar in

Falls Church Falls Church City is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is part of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of 2020, it has ...

. That restaurant was always busy with people coming for the frozen custard. Steven and April decided to recreate that with their restaurant, an homage to Frozen Dairy Bar, with frozen custard served in the drive-thru. Within a few years of opening, Spelunker's had become a popular local restaurant. In 2005, it was featured in the August issue of ''

Northern Virginia Magazine ''Northern Virginia Magazine'' is a monthly magazine for the Northern Virginia region and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The magazine published its first issue in 2006. It focuses on dining, shopping, travel, entertainment, news, cul ...

''. The restaurant was mentioned in a 2008 ''

'' article about places to eat and visit in Front Royal. When interviewed by the reporter, locals praised Spelunker's frozen custard, which includes a flavor of the day and is served at approximately 18 degrees (-8 Celsius). The burgers, made from

and

, contains no additives or preservatives. This custom mix is ground twice daily. The

hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...

s are made of beef and served in a New England–style bun. The chili is made at the restaurant and is somewhat spicy and sweet. Pureed carrots are used to make the chili sweet. During the

, when restaurants were ordered to stop indoor dining, owners Steve and April Antonelli kept Spelunker's drive-thru open, which "would serve as the lifeblood of their family business in Front Royal." They replaced the limited drive-thru menu with one offering all items. Employees would also take orders from the parking lot using portable tablets. With the success of a busy drive-thru, Spelunker's revenue only went down around 20%, a much better result than many restaurants during the

lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

. ''The Washington Post'' food reporter Tim Carman visited during COVID lockdown. His response after eating a Spelunker's burger was "If I've had a better hamburger pulled from a bag, I can't remember when." In regards to the frozen custard, Carman said "I only stopped eating it because it was gone." In 2021, the restaurant added more parking spaces after the Front Royal Planning Commission agreed to

rezone Yakov Morozov (born 6 August 1985), better known by his stage name Rezone, is a Russian DJ, music producer and sound designer. Musical career Yakov was just 13 years old when he first tried to write electronic music. Since then all his free time ...

a 0.45 acre (0.16 hectares) lot in a residential area. The restaurant uses a house on the property as storage space. The following year, Spelunker's was mentioned in '' Washingtonian'' magazine's list of "Fantastic Foodie Getaways." Describing it as a destination burger, the magazine noted the Cavern Burger is available as one patty or two. It was also noted the french fries are cooked with the skin on. (the potato is unpeeled before cutting) In 2023, DC Eater included Spelunker's on a list of places to eat when visiting the Shenandoah Valley.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://spelunkers-custard.com/ 2002 establishments in Virginia Fast-food hamburger restaurants Front Royal, Virginia Restaurants established in 2002 Restaurants in Virginia

History

See also

References

External links