Likely opened in 1958 or early '59, the Front Royal stand-alone Restaurant had been expertly sited to capture local traffic and especially tourists headed into Shenandoah National Park to take the Skyline Drive. Moreover, once on Skyline Drive motorists could follow its 105 miles to Rockfish Gap where the Afton Restaurant awaited them!

A Nims-type, Front Royal was among the earliest Restaurants to employ design elements which were clearly influenced by the optimism of the "Space Age." Gone were nearly all references to Colonial embellishment, for they had been replaced with sleek clean modern lines.