7FIVE7 Café opened its doors a month ago with a built-in clientele hungry for its Great American Favorites menu and healthy cooking style that translates Philly Cheese Steak subs and Jumbo Shrimp Salad into food that’s full of flavor and good for you.
But the real magic comes after 5 p.m. when the servers become movers, the red table cloths and bar high mahogany tables and chairs are replaced with 10-foot long white folding tables and chairs. Within 15 minutes the 7FIVE 7 Café becomes the smoke-free playing area for one of Roanoke’s largest bingo games, Gator Swimming Bingo.
“We’ve been feeding the Gators for the past three years,” said Sam Edmonds, of 7FIVE7Cafe. “When they bought the new place we entered into a joint venture; they supply the bingo and we supply the food.”
Gladys Irving is a regular at Gator Bingo and one of the first to enter the doors at 5:30 p.m.
“I come early and get dinner here. Everything is fresh and hot and it’s cheaper than most of the fast food places. The service is good and I can play and eat at the same time.”
But that isn’t all he transformed. Sam, 38, says that when his doctor strongly recommended that he reduce salt in his diet his first thought was that he was going to spend the rest of his life eating food that didn’t taste good.
“I knew it was important to my health, but who wants to eat food that has no taste. I spent time in research and developed alternative ways to ad tons of flavor without salt and modified all my recipes. No one notices that there is less salt in the food that I cook; they just know that it’s delicious.”
“I use a lot of vegetables in my menus and I grill nearly everything so I less oil and the natural flavor is developed better. It all comes down to taste. Food must be fresh and full of flavor. I believe that everyone should be full and satisfied.”
Long days begin at 8 a.m. when Sam opens for breakfast serving full platters of hearty favorites; lunch has become a favorite on Williamson Road and he gears up for the bingo players from 5 to 10. He spends hours monitoring costs to keep his prices affordable and buys only the best and freshest food.
“The most expensive item on our menu is $15.99 but I’ll compare my food to restaurants that cost more. ”
Sam says he has never played bingo. “It looks like a lot of fun and the people win some big money. I’m happy working the grill.”
