Located beside the railroad tracks in Washington Grove, Hershey’s Restaurant & Bar is less a restaurant than a living piece of Montgomery County history… one whose identity has long been intertwined with crispy, golden fried chicken.
The building that now houses Hershey’s wasn’t always a restaurant. In fact, prior to the 1950s, it served as the Washington Grove post office and general store. According to a 2001 Washington Post article, in 1952, Charles and Doris Hershey acquired the property and opened a modest carryout alongside the general store. The idea was simple: serve decent food to local residents and travelers passing by the train line.
Over time, that carryout expanded. The Hersheys gradually transformed the storefront into a full-fledged restaurant and bar. The post office, which had shared the building, relocated across the tracks in 1978, and Hershey’s repurposed its old space into a nonsmoking dining section. Today, Hershey’s still occupies that same footprint at 17030 Oakmont Avenue, Gaithersburg (Washington Grove area).
If there is one dish that defines Hershey’s, it is the fried chicken. The recipe traces back to Doris Hershey (often affectionately referred to as “Grandma Hershey”). Early on, Doris would fry chicken pieces for the carryout side of the business, packaging them in to-go boxes for those passing through the area. That simple comfort food struck a chord.
When the store evolved into a restaurant in 1969, the fried chicken remained a central feature of the menu. As Washington Post writer Barbara Ruben noted in 2001, “The chicken recipe that Doris Hershey, known as Grandma, would fry up … is still featured on the menu.”
By many accounts, it has remained much the same over decades… homestyle, dependable, and frequently the reason longtime customers return. In one write-up of “Best Old-Fashioned Fried Chicken,” Hershey’s is mentioned by food writers as part of the region’s fried chicken lore.
Although ownership and some décor updates have occurred (for example, the current proprietor, Lisa Gorman, purchased the business about a decade ago and has made modest renovations) , Hershey’s has kept its core identity remarkably intact.
Local senior patrons still recall going there on Sundays after church. The dining room’s windows look out toward passing trains, an ever-present reminder of the building’s origin along a rail line. The Washington Post reported that staff members through the years even tell ghost stories (benign ghostly presences, they say) as part of the lore surrounding its long life.
In a region where chain restaurants dominate, Hershey’s stands out. For many, its fried chicken is more than food… it’s familiarity, tradition, and a bridge to the past. Even as tastes evolve, the restaurant’s commitment to that recipe gives it a distinctive anchor. Whether someone is hankering for two pieces of chicken (with choice of sides) or a full family-style meal, Hershey’s offers a taste of history with every bite.
