Press & Awards
Here is some of the attention Route 11 has received over the years.
WINNER: Good Food Award!
January 2021—The Good Food Foundation awards their prestigious Good Food Award to our beloved, seasonal Route 11 Yukon Gold Potato Chips!
"Home Slices"
March 2020—Food Network Magazine featured Route 11 Dill Pickle Chips as one of only five "beloved regional chips big on local flavor!"
"Learn Why This Small Batch Chip Factory is One of Shenandoah County's Most Popular Attractions"
September 6, 2019—This travel blog article explores the experience of visiting the Route 11 Chips factory and the process by which we turn east coast potatoes into our kettle cooked potato chips.
Irish People Try Route 11 Chips
July 19, 2019—The Try Channel does a hilarious taste test of several flavors of Route 11 Chips on unsuspecting Irish people. The Irish were not prepared!
"Best with Burgers"
July 2019—Good Housekeeping magazine chooses Route 11 Dill Pickle Chips as "Best with Burgers" out of 50+ types of chips in their GH Test Kitchen "Taste Test Chip Picks."
Appalachian Salt & Cracked Pepper
January 12, 2019—The Northern Virginia Daily releases a front-page story about our first new flavor in 12 years--and its debut at the 2019 Winter Fancy Food Show!
"Salt Mates"
July 2018—"It is very rare that a potato chip could elicit such excitement. But these chips are a masterpiece, and thanks to Route 11's partnership with J.Q. Dickinson, they are tied deeply to the Virginia Piedmont and the Appalachians." Middleburg Life tells the beautiful story of how Appalachian Salt & Cracked Pepper became our new, very special flavor.
Route 11 Chips Expansion
March 2015—The Richmond Times-Dispatch releases our potato-tastic news of our upcoming $1.2 million expansion that will create more Virginia jobs, use more Virginia potatoes, and make more delicious chips!
"Chips We Love Even More than Homemade"
January 2015—Bon Appétit featured Route 11 Dill Pickle Chips in the article "Chips We Love Even More than Homemade" saying they're an "addictive take on one of my other favorite snacks. Imagine the classic with all the merits of being dipped in a pickle jar." Addicted, we sure are too!
An Unconventional History
August 2014—Distinction tells the story of the unconventional, winding path Route 11 Potato Chips took over the years, and how our love of quality and sustainability (and sometimes not really knowing what we were doing!) shaped our little fry.
"A Cult Favorite"
April 2014—"Route 11 Potato Chips finds success as a cult favorite in a fiercely competitive market." We enjoyed a lot of publicity from a lengthy story about Route 11 Chips in the Washington Post covering our amazing chips, quirky history, and our zero-waste sustainability efforts!
NON-GMO Verified!
November 2012—Route 11 becomes the second chip nationwide to be verified by the Non-GMO Project for our Lightly Salted and Sweet Potato flavors!
Sofi 2012 Finalist
Finalist for Outstanding Snack Food
Mama Zuma's Revenge Potato Chips
NASFT Fancy Food Show
Washington, DC; July 2012
"Crave-worthy" Pick
April 2012—Oprah Magazine features our chips as a "crave-worthy" pick in their first-ever food issue! They review, "Route 11's Dill Pickle Potato Chips combine some of our favorite chip flavors into one perfect bite—and yes, somehow manage to taste exactly, deliciously like a dill pickle."
» Read the article
"Best Foodie Gift"
December 2011—The Today Show picks Route 11 as one of the Best Foodie Gifts of 2011.
» Watch the video
Sofi 2011 Finalist
2011 Finalist for Outstanding Snack Food
Dill Pickle Potato Chips
NASFT Fancy Food Show
Washington, DC; July 2011
"Potatoes, Serendipity and a Little Luck"
Albemarle Magazine, July 2010
» read the article
Praise from Southern Living
April 2010—Southern Living Magazine
"With names like Mama Zuma's Revenge and Chesapeake Crab, these aren't your grab-off-any-shelf chips..."
A Visit from Holly
May 2009—Holly from Fox 5 News stopped by our factory to show how potato chips come through our state-of-the-art factory to become "the best chip in the world!" Come enjoy the tour with us!
» Watch the video
Sofi 2008 Winner
2008 Winner for Outstanding Snack Food
Sweet Potato Chips
NASFT Fancy Food Show
New York, NY; July 2008 (» More Info)
#2 of Top 10 Chips
February 2008—Maxim Magazine's Penn Jillette chooses his 10 favorite potato chips. Mama Zuma's Revenge gets the #2 spot!
A Jose Andres Recipe
October 2005—The Washington Post
» Read the article
Best Chip with a Burger
August 2005—Real Simple Magazine
Route 11 Dill Pickle Chips named Best Chip to Eat with a Burger.
Sofi 2004 Finalist
2004 Finalist for Outstanding Product Line
NASFT Fancy Food Show
New York, NY
Praise from Virginia Living
February 2004—"For starters, Route 11 Potato Chips are not your average snack food. In both its cooking method and product quality, Route 11 stands out as an alternative to additive-laden potato chips hogging the grocery shelves."
The Best Potato Chips You've Never Tasted
February 2003—Esquire Magazine
"The Best Potato Chips You've Never Tasted"
Mama Zuma's Revenge
Praise from Baltimore City Paper
February 2003— » Read More
"The pleasures of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley"
June 2000—Southern Living Magazine
"Ah, the pleasures of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Apple blossoms. Bucolic farms. Potato Chips. On weekends, aficionados line up to watch the cooking at the tiny factory in Middletown like pilgrims at a shrine."
Hip Chips
May 1999—The Washington Post
Route 11: A Small Fry in the Big Snack World
Some are little ovals of potato [...] others are tater plateaus, doubling back on themselves like some coral formation [...]. These are Route 11 Potato Chips, a hip chip with none of the conveyor-belt precision of so many manufactured counterparts.
Route 11's Road To Success
February 1999—Snack World (cover story)
Route 11's Road To Success: Old-fashioned methods drive Route 11 Potato Chips' growing popularity.
Love Mail
Your Salt & Vinegar chips are by far the best I've ever had! Amazing! I will never buy another brand again. When I want that zing from a potato chip, yours will be the first ones I put into my shopping cart. It's not like me to have enlightenment from eating a potato chip, but that's exactly what happened. Where have you been my whole life? Keep up the good work, and rest assured, I will make sure I tell everyone I know what brand stands above and beyond the rest, Route 11 Potato Chips!
Thanks again.
A dedicated customer
S.P
I just wanted to let you guys know you are doing a great job and producing some of the best potato chips out on the market. I love, love, love your lightly salted chips. They are so simple, and yet so delicious. No one else can even come close to your chips! Keep up the good work.
K. R.
I had my first bag of your chips today after I picked up a bag of Mama Zuma's Revenge Habanero Chips in Washington, DC today. Being 28 years old, I've tried my share of flavors and brands of potato chips in my day. I must compliment you that these may be the best chips I've ever had. Everything from the flavor to the crispiness to the level of spiciness was spot on. I truly believe you may have created the perfect potato chip!
S. M.
I was at the commissary today, saw your display and decided to try a bag. They are really the best I've had and I've been a Herrs fan. I bought the lightly salted type, feel a bit less guilty eating them. Just had to let you know you have a grand product.
Thank you very much,
M.C.
I've got to tell you that the Sweet Potato Chips are the best chips I've ever had! They're perfect and delicious.
Thanks
S.T.
I consider myself a potato chip connoisseur. They have been my favorite snack food for as long as I can remember. I always love trying locally produced products when I get the chance. I picked up a small bag of your lightly salted chips at Brown Bag in DC with my sandwich. I can simply say that they are the best chips I have ever eaten. They have no equal period. I found the full size bags at Balducci's and have shared them with everyone I know who loves potato chips. They all agree that they are the best chips they have ever tried. Congratulations! You have helped me conclude my life long quest to find the perfect potato chip.
Regards,
J.G.
I am eating, or trying to eat my first bag of MamaZuma's Revenge habanero chips. I am a hot food lover. Few commercial hot foods are hot enough, let alone too hot for me. But I coughed, started sweating and acquired a burning mouth after two of your chips. Wow, these are seriously major league, five-alarm, hair-on-fire blisteringly HOT! Thank you for making a quality product.
I should not have ignored the warning label on the back of the bag.
T. T.
Just thought I'd drop you a line to let you know that your Barbecue potato chips are awesome! They are hands-down the best I have ever tasted! Keep up the good work!
D. L.
I have traveled all over the world. I have eaten many chips in my time, even homemade chips. Your chips are the best I have ever eaten. I love your Crab Chips. I will only in the future buy Route 11 chips. Thank you for making a very enjoyable chip.
D.M.
