Route 11 Potato Chips

We were in the area visiting some caverns last month and we heard that we could take a tour of a potato chip factory.
Well it’s a pretty quick tour. A couple of rooms with some windows that we got to look through, but it’s free! It was a nice little diversion for us before getting back on the road home.
They also offer free chip samples.
It was fun, interesting, quick, and free. What’s not to like?

Still one of my favourite artisan mass produced chips that is still on the economy side. Great customer service and price margin is respectable.

The best potato chips I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve tried them all! The lightly salted chips are my favorite. Just wish they were easier to find locally.

This was a great stop on our way back from the caverns. All stages of the potato chip making process can be viewed from big glass viewing windows. From the slicing, frying, seasoning, and bagging.
All of the chip flavors are out for sampling and of course you can buy all different sizes of bags to bring home with you, along with a variety of Rt 11 merchandise.
The staff was very friendly and was answering all sorts of questions from my 8 year old.

We’re still fans, but… We visited again and bought more chips. This time around, they weren’t quite as good. What concerned us most was were the Salt and Vinegar chips. They didn’t taste nearly as good as the first ‘batch’ we purchased. I could taste the oil they were cooked in – and the potato of course – but couldn’t really taste the salt and vinegar flavor. I don’t think we’ll buy these again. We need consistency! This time around, we also bought ‘Mama Zuma’s Revenge’ chips. These are interesting but are mega spicy! A little too much so for our tastes. The dill chips, as before, were great. (In our opinion, this is their signature chip!) On our next visit, we’ll buy these exclusively. And we’ll hope they taste as good!

I loooooove me some chips. If I could express my love for chips, it would be through a sonnet…
But I’m not Shakespeare, so a review will have to do. ^_​~
I was walking through a store in Yorktown, VA, and felt kind of bad because I didn’t plan on buying anything. So, I picked up a bag of Route 11 Chesapeake Crab chips as a way of making peace with the person behind the register. The colour scheme of the bag is what attracted me.
Lemme tell you about these chips. They’re salty. They’re crispy. Not too greasy. They’re wonderful. I’ve had a lot of Chesapeake Bay– and crab-​themed chips, but these are the best. They have that strong celery flavour that I crave and want out of a chip like this. I almost cried when they were gone. And I licked my fingers! I’m dainty (sometimes). I don’t lick my fingers, but I did this time.
Someone, ship me a box of these to my house, pleeeease. You don’t understand my need for them. So good. Too good. Thank goodness.

If Kettle Chips and Dill Pickles got together and created an organic and sustainable love child, it would look like Route 11’s Dill Pickle Potato Chips.
#SnackSoulmates

What a fun thing to do with the kids when you need a break from the road or on a rainy day if you’re staying at Bayse Mt. The people are so friendly and who isn’t interested in potato chips?

«Made in limited quantities, but in unlimited quality.»
Fresh chips, plenty of parking and a balcony where you can see everything in production. All varieties are available to taste, which are all natural kettle-​style and most are gluten free. They were making dill pickle flavored chips before they got popular and the Mama Zuma chips really do pack some heat. Barbeque is a favorite flavor, along with the Chesapeake Crab.
The Shenandoah Valley is filled with delectable roadside stops like this all along the I-​81 corridor — including Kline’s (frozen custard) in Harrisonburg and Virginia Gold Orchard (pears) south of Lexington. Were there a companion piece to the Drive I-​95 guidebook/​website, this would certainly make the list!
I often stop here on a road trip to visit family/​friends; tucked away in an industrial park, it adds about 20 minutes and is worth every second.

After a family wedding in New Market we decided to come for a tour. Thoroughly enjoyed seeing the owner involved on a Saturday afternoon. It was entertaining to see the process with a very clean feeling facility and extrememly friendly staff. Possibly a little more visual of the full process would have been nice but who can complain about free? All in all we enjoyed the time spent at the factory.

As soon as I realized that Kirk Cousins, my fellow Spartan, would be starting two games at quarterback for Washington in one week, I knew I was going to need a lot of chips to go with the games. Not that I planned a big party or anything. I just eat a lot of potato chips while watching football.
Thankfully, I took a trip to the Shenandoah Valley on the day before the first of the two games and discovered the Route 11 Potato Chips factory store. They sell chips by the pound here. Well by clear 24 ounce bags at least. So, really, over a pound. And each ounce in these bags is cheaper than a corresponding ounce from Route 11 that you can get at any store. And fresher since they scoop the chips right off of the assembly line. So buying 24 ounces of Barbeque chips and 24 ounces of Salt N Vinegar chips was an investment (especially since my girlfriend paid).
And they have every flavor they make in sampling bins near the entrance so picking the perfect one isn’t hard.
Seeing the factory production of these chips (they show everything to the public except for the peeling of the potatoes) here won me over to them even more. I knew that they strived for sustainability and localism but when I saw that they still salted their chips by hand, I was in awe. Of course, most of the production is still done by machines but they seem to care about their workers and the small nature of their processing. And I love them for that almost as much for that as their delicious taste.
Chowing down on a local treat while watching Kirk Cousins tear apart the Philadelphia Eagles on drive after drive was certainly worth the car ride to rural Virginia. I may need more Route 11 chips if he starts the rest of the season.

Visited here recently while on vacation in VA! You get to see most of the process of how the Route 11 potato chips are made, and best of all, there are samples!
At the first window you can see the potatoes come down the metal chutes from above & the potatoes get sliced and shot out into the fryer. Dumped onto a conveyor belt & a person picks out any of the burnt or bad chips. They go upstairs & are seasoned, and then go down through a long chute & into the bags!
I really liked seeing the bags before they were bags… you get to see the shiny metal side & the printed side. We had a few questions, and the staff was VERY nice & sweet in explaining how it all worked.
Of course you can buy chips here as well! I was a litttttttle disappointed that we had seen them for cheaper in multiple locations. You’d think since you were buying them from the source (no shipping costs, etc) they might be cheaper.
There a a bunch of ways you can buy them. In tins, in clear plastic bags, cases, & regular size bags. I couldn’t begin to figure out which was the best deal.
One thing that I really like is that Route 11 doesn’t have a regular potato chip. Their «regular» is only lightly salted, which is honestly more than enough.
Needless to say, we bought plenty of chips to take home with us! ;)

I LOOOOVE these chips! My husband and I ordered a box of their combo case for our wedding and gave them out to guests as part of their wedding favor. We loved the idea because we were married on 11−11−11 in Virginia. Why not give out chips made in Virginia that has an 11 on the package?! Perfect for everyone after a night of dancing. Before that he and I had been fans of the chips, buying them at Wegmans.
I’ve wanted to stop by the factory for a little over a year now but each time time had always been a factor when driving down 81, or it was a Sunday and the factory isn’t open on Sundays. Finally, my husband and I were going to make an attempt this past Friday. They close at 5pm. We made it there around 4:50. No one even mentioned to us what time they’d be closing or how long we had to shop so no feeling rushed there. Two other parties entered after us so we felt a little better.
When we arrived no chips were being fried, the blade that cuts the potatoes was being cleaned. Still, it was interesting to watch all the potato «guts» being taken out of the blades. We also got to see the area where the flavor is added to the chips and watched as chips were bagged.
After the brief factory «tour», we went shopping. We bought a 24oz bag of Salt & Vinegar and another 24oz bag of BBQ, along with a small bag of Chesapeake Crab and a traditional size bag of the Mama Zuma’s Revenge. You can also buy a beverage at the factory but we already had stuff in the car. My husband and I agree we’d like to plan future trips out here to buy more 24oz bags in advance of parties.

Potato chips are pretty much one of my areas of expertise. And of all flavors, Salt & Vinegar is my preferred input. Route 11 are so good. Not for those who don’t enjoy a flavor infusion. These are not tame. You must love salt and vinegar. And not oily at all unlike some other kettle cooked. I am smitten.

Tried ordering chips from them because I had them few years ago and were great! So I placed an order, and 4 days go by and they still didn’t ship. maybe a courtesy call to me saying their looking for a price quote from usps would have been nice. Poor service business. But at least chips are good to keep business a float, and not service.

The MSRP on the six oz. bags is 2.99. You will pay $ 3 for 6 oz. chips at the factory. In other words, no discount for 6 oz. size and in fact I have seen this size cheaper at retail stores. So go for the larger umarked plastic bags to get a deal while here. The little bags are cheaper here that most stores/​delis. I was surprised they are charging the retail price on the 6 oz. size!

I don’t know what else to say about these chips besides they are the best chips! They’re the perfect little fried potato slices with the right amount of crunch, flavor, and salt. My only complaint is why the jello are they not sold everywhere? Why don’t bags of these chips fall from the sky with gold coins glued to the outside?
Uh, they have a factory you can visit? Road trip anyone?! You should be able to tell by my overzealous response that I’m a fan of these chips.

I’m a big fan of Route 11 Potato Chips! I especially like their Dill Pickle chips and their Habanero Potato Chips.
Well, I finally found the place and stopped in for a visit. It’s in a rather industrial style looking building a bit off the beaten path.
I believe they give tours, but I did not have time for a tour. You can see through a couple of windows back into the areas where they make the chips and where they bag them. A sign stating that «no photography» of their chipmaking process is posted. I respected the sign but asked if I could snap pix of the sales area/​lounge — the lady told me to go right ahead.
I bought a number of bags of chips — some as an introduction to their chips for some friends that have never had them, plus some for myself.
Stop in here if you get the chance!
Route 11 Potato Chips used to be located in Middletown, VA. But they moved a couple of years ago.
The correct address for Route 11 Potato Chips is:
Route 11 Potato Chips
11 Edwards Way
Mount Jackson, VA 22 842

I’ve been a happy and satisfied customer of their chips for several years. I took two of my friends to their factory today and we were able to see the chips being made. The Staff was very friendly and quick to explain their processes. We learned about their peeling machine, conveyors, slicer, hot oil vat, seasoning application, and packaging. My friends and I purchased several bags of chips and I bought one of their colorful Mama Zuma’s T-​shirts. As we were in their parking lot preparing to leave, two of their employees drove by us and waved. This was a very nice visit and I look forward to my next trip down to see ‘em.
I forgot to mention that their new address is 11 Edwards Way, Mount Jackson, VA 22 842 not the one listed here on Unilocal.If you are planning a trip give ‘em a call first at 1−800−294-SPUD.

This was our destination for a special route trip today. My husband always gets the week between Xmas and New Year’s off, and my brother is here to visit, so we all packed in the station wagon and went.
The factory building itself is small. I was expecting a huge building, but it was the size of a small single family house. Unfortunately, they were not actually making chips today. but once you walk in there is a large window where you can see the chip making stuff (metal machines and a chip sorter).
There was an employee there who helped us purchase some… guess what.chips. My brother bought a big bag of the Yukon Gold while we got a Combo Pack of one of each flavor. They also sell potato chip cookies, t-​shirts, hats, mugs and dip here. Cute little stop if you are in the area.