Meet our Tavern Family

Debbie Donehey

Owner

Debbie is the owner. She and her husband Jim purchased land in Rappahannock County in 1997 and decided the area needed a social gathering place. Neither of them had run, let alone owned, a restaurant before! The Tavern opened in May 2003 and through a lot of hard work and perseverance it has become the dream she had envisioned. You should feel as if you’re coming home and your seat at the table has been saved just for you.

In case you are wondering, the Tavern motto “We’re not here for a long time so we might as well be here for a good time” came from an Irish taxi driver on one of their trips to Ireland.

Lorraine Gilb

Entertainment/Social Media Manager

Lorraine has been a bartender at Griffin Tavern since September 2005. She greets our customers with a smile and wants them to feel “at home” in our pub. Lorraine coordinates our live music and karaoke entertainment, as well as birthday parties, Halloween and New year’s fun and décor. You can often catch our “Lorrainiac” dancing behind the bar on a Saturday night. So belly on up, or feel free to contact Lorraine here for your band promo, or planning a special event in our pub. Cheers!

Jason Ratcliffe

Line Cook

Jason started working for us in May of 2011. He is best known as our lunch cook and continues to wow our guests with his specials such as his stir fried rices and pho. You never know what Jason will add to the daily menu!