Doug's Place

I grew up in Maine. The way I feel about Red Lobster after having so many good Maine seafood options must be the way true Southerners feel about Cracker Barrel when a restaurant like Doug's Place is available to them.

The building is an old side of the road restaurant, a throwback to the days of no interstates. It's the kind of place your dad used to take you on Saturday morning, and you would just happen to meet up with two thirds of his friends.

The waitresses are attentive, pretty and quick. My waitress was Hope. She never let my tea glass go empty, and she, as well as the other waitresses, was constantly working the room, conversing with patrons and watching for service opportunities. Every waitress seemed to know everyone in there.

The manager, Melissa Ferguson, was a friendly woman who acted like a mom. She spoke of how busy it would get in there, but times are more lean now(as we all know).

My food was very tasty. I ordered pork chops and gravy with mashed potatoes and cole slaw. I had a piece of corn bread, iced tea to drink and apple cobbler for dessert. The regulars were fun to listen to. They ordered menu items by number and letter code. Maybe I'll get that good one day.

The menu changes daily, and typically offers a half dozen meat choices, more than a dozen vegetables, desserts and grill items. There are daily supper specials as well: Strip Steak on Wednesday, Fried Shrimp on Thursday, and 1/2 Rack Ribs on Friday.

You can hear the day's menu by calling 770-382-8069. Where else can you get that ?

The business hours for Doug's Place are:

Breakfast
Mon - Fri 6am-11am
Sat 7am-2pm

Lunch
Mon - Sat 10:30am-2pm
Sun 11am-3pm

Supper
Mon - Fri 4:30-9pm

Visit Doug's Place at 696 Highway 293, Emerson, GA 30137.