08/28/2026
Thereās a chapter between Rod Graves and Jim Pickens that weāre still learning more about.
After Rod, the steakhouse was owned for a time by Ray Valiquette. We donāt know much about Rayās years at Rodās yet, and weāre not 100% certain we have the spelling of his last name right. If his name rings a bell or you remember this chapter of Rodās history, weād love to hear what you know.
By the fall of 1972, Rodās was ready to change hands once again.
On September 1, Jim Pickens and his business partner Roy Killinsworth purchased the steakhouse. A few years later, Jim bought Royās share, and Jim and his wife, Anne, carried Rodās into a new era.
Jim left his mark on the menu, too. He was the one who brought prime rib to Rodās, starting a tradition that would stick around long after his years as owner.
But some of the best stories from this chapter arenāt written on a menu.
For more than a decade, Rodās was filled with familiar Williams faces, families, high school kids working their first jobs, longtime employees, and plenty of regulars on the other side of the table.
From 1972 until Jim and Anne sold Rodās in 1985, they werenāt just running a steakhouse. They were carrying on a Williams tradition and adding a few traditions of their own.
