They want you to come by and watch the process. Big windows with platforms allow big and small alike easy visibility. Samples are available and bags of fresh chips can be purchased. Give them a call to make sure they are actually frying potatoes on the day of your visit. Periodically, they do have to shut down the equipment for cleaning. Their staff are friendly and helpful.
We were lucky that they were cooking when we visited on Saturday afternoon. It is easy to see the process and there are all sorts of fresh chips to try. I especially liked the two varieties of sweet potato chips.
The chip quality is good, not oily. The wide range of coatings are fun to taste but you have to ask for tastings. The "Tour" is a short narrative and viewed through a handful of windows. The potato slicer is cool to see in action. The potatoes are tasty and not greasy. Nice quick diversion.
We stopped in at the potato chip factory prior to visiting the caverns. It was on a Saturday and we were glad to see they were actually making the chips. It is an extremely clean factory with lots of windows to see what's going on. Everyone was friendly. As another review mentioned, I was surprised to see the chips cost more at the factory store than in other stores we stopped in. It is definitely a place to stop in at if you are going to the caverns and they do have out most of their chips to sample. I most likely wouldn't go out of my way to find this place and would have been extremely disappointed if they were not making chips the day we went.
Lucky is the chip lover who has a chance to try Route 11 Chips. To make the experience even better, I would suggest reading the interesting history of this company online at www.rt11.com. Makes you appreciate when you watch the chip-frying process how they've evolved the potato to bag process. Not really a factory tour, but you view through large glass windows the frying process on two levels of the building (steps here). I called ahead as recommended and was delighted to hear the frying would be the entire week until 4pm. Then a delayed arrival put us at the door minutes before 4pm, but delightfully the process was still ongoing during the 20 minutes we were there. Yes, there were plenty of free samples and everyone had a different favorite. Luckily, in the Wintergreen Resort area we can easily purchase Route 11 at Martin's Grocery (part of the Giant Food store chain) in Waynesboro any time we want. Otherwise you might find them in your favorite boutique store or deli. Of course, that didn't stop us from buying a large 22 oz. plastic bag filled fresh off the factory floor!I don't know who has room in their freezer, but I found it fascinating you can freeze these bags for 6 months without a change in flavor. Sorry, Rt. 11, mine will never last that long around my house.
Spent a rainy day visiting Rt 11 chips. Its a small company, their staff is friendly, helpful & full of information & history of the company. There are 6 windows into the factory so you can watch the process from the potatos getting sliced up to being inspected, to being bagged. The workers are friendly constantly smiling & waving at you. Its definitely worth the visit.
First, the place looks like a factory. It is clear that they need better signage, specifically, the turn into the industrial park which is not marked.A big Visitor Sign on the side of the building would help.Regardless, this is a great place to stop and take a 1/2 break off I-81. The short tour (basically, viewing through three windows-the cooker, the flavor bay, and packaging) is very informative and it is fascinating how many chip bags they process in a day with only a handful of staff.There is a SMALL gift shop, which has bulk chips for purchase.The staff is extremely nice and knowledgeable.
We stopped by when we saw the signs on the highway - definitely worth the mile or so drive off the interstate. We got to see the chips being made and taste all the varieties. Crab chips certainly surprised us, but my 12 year old loved them. We were able to buy chips to take home. The ladies working the counter were friendly and let us know how the chips were made and we watched for about 10 minutes before heading out. Definitely recommend!
Everyone LOVES potato chips. Even though you watch from behind windows (which is a good thing), you learn a lot about something different. You want to make sure that they are frying on the day you visit. We actually went back on our trip back through to see the process. They do a very good job at explaining and answering questions. You also get Free samples. However, between our two visits, we bought $50 worth of chips. My family all wanted different flavors. However, I am sure that they won't last long and will be ordered again on-line.
We stopped by on our way to Winchester and it’s definitely worth the 20-30 minute visit and it’s not very far off Interstate 81. It’s a small operation and they show you the potato chip making process in a matter of minutes but you can spend as long as you want watching the process through the 6-7 windows provided. It’s a very informative visit worth the time to stop by. They have a small gift shop that sells their products. We recommend stopping by if you are passing through.