Popular Macon restaurant serving Southern comfort food celebrates 85th anniversary
In 1936, construction of the Hoover Dam was completed, Jesse Owens won a gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the Summer Olympics, and J. A. Smith Jr. opened the first S&S Cafeteria.
The company, celebrating its 85th anniversary this week, now has six locations, including two in Macon. It’s a unique milestone for the restaurant that specializes in Southern comfort food.
“For 85 years, our mission has been to feed and inspire every guest, team member, and community we serve,” S&S Cafeterias CEO Rick Pogue said. “To say we are grateful for the amazing people who’ve dined and worked with us for the past 85 year is an understatement — our loyal guests and team members are the heart of our business and the reason why we love what we do.”
The secret to the restaurant’s long-term success? According to Pogue, the key is serving great food and taking great care of their staff. Another key is to treat all guests with respect and courtesy and provide great service in a clean, convenient, efficient, and welcoming environment.
“The real key is to have great coworkers and treat them right. This will make the guest return,” Pogue said.
S&S Cafeteria has two locations in Macon: 2626 Riverside Drive and 3724 Bloomfield Village Drive. The restaurant serves home-style Southern comfort food with a menu full of options for the family. Some of their most popular dishes are fried chicken, country steak and rice and beef liver and onions.The menu also contains a variety of fresh salads and vegetables with homemade desserts.
“Great food, great service, exceptional coworkers and managers and the very best most loyal guest in the country,” Pogue said, outlining the restaurant’s strategy. “We have served many generations of loyal guests and get comments all the time about the great memories at S&S. Many of our coworkers have 20, 30, 40, 50-plus years of service.”
S&S Cafeterias serves their customers a variety of delicious tried- and true Southern homestyle meals with more than 115 items at each of their six locations that include restaurants in Augusta; Knoxville, Tennessee; Greenville, South Carolina; and Charleston.
“We look forward to thanking our valued guests for 85 years of loyalty with these special offers. It is our privilege to keep serving our guests the food they know and love year-over-year, especially during a trying year like this one,” Pogue said.
One of the biggest changes since they opened in 1936? S&S Cafeterias added a feature called Take Out Shoppes, which allows customers to order online or use one of their delivery services.
“If you do it right and have an exceptional product and great service you do not have to change a lot. Just carry on the tradition and legacy for success,” Pogue said.
For more details on the celebration visit sscafeterias.com/85th-anniversary
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM.