Cathead biscuits, steak burgers. This new breakfast and lunch spot opens in west Macon
A new restaurant specializing in high-quality steak burgers is open in west Macon.
Keene’s Kafe at 6369 Thomaston Road, Suite 100, is open only for breakfast and lunch.
“Basically, we do like black Angus sirloin steak burgers and that’s kind of like our specialty,” said owner Jonathan Keene. “We do a really, really good steak burger with bacon on a brioche bun.
“So, it’s a really stout burger. Everything comes from certified Angus ... Then for breakfast, we do big ol’ cathead biscuits with fried pork chops and (country) fried steak and stuff like that.”
A new venture
This is the first restaurant for Keene, who quit his job to own and operate it. He’s also the chef.
“I quit and put all my eggs into this basket,” he said.
Keene most recently worked in auto financing and before that as a district manager for Wendy’s.
“I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant and so when this spot became available, I had a really nifty business model that I thought would work … So I went all in,” Keene said.
The new restaurant is nestled in a convenience store at a Shell gas station in the former Cluckin’ Great Deli & More spot.
“I wanted to provide, like, really good high quality food, but I wanted to do it at an affordable price,” Keene said. “I wanted to provide, like, the same quality burger you would get at the Rookery but at the same price you would pay for one at Wendy’s.”
His signature “Keene’s Famous Steak Burger” is $12 and comes with steak fries.
The big burger is billed on the menu this way: “two Certified Angus Beef patties cooked to perfection layered with muenster cheese, topped with bacon and placed on a brioche bun. Served with lettuce, tomato, red onion, mustard and ketchup.”
Because he’s set up inside a convenience store at a gas station, Keene explained that he has a lower overhead than he would if he had a stand-alone brick and mortar restaurant.
With that cost savings, Keene said he’s able to offer high-quality food — such as his certified Angus beef steak burgers — at affordable prices.
Keene also prides himself on his cathead biscuits.
“That’s a term for like a really large, big biscuit,” he said. “We probably got the biggest biscuits in Macon.”
Keene also noted that he uses only high quality sunflower oil for cooking.
The menu
Several menu offerings are named after family members.
Steph’s fried chop sandwich is named after his wife of 10 years, Stephanie. The sandwich is described on the menu as “a crispy and juicy country fried boneless pork chop placed on a brioche bun.”
“That’s her favorite sandwich in the restaurant,” he said.
JJ’s Steakburger is named after his son Jonathan Jr. This option is a single certified Angus beef patty “cooked to perfection,” topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mustard and ketchup on a brioche bun.
“That’s his actual creation,” Keene said. “The one patty with the American cheese with no bacon. None of that other stuff. That’s just his burger. That’s been his burger for years.
“I’ve been cooking these hamburgers for a long time,” Keene added.
Rea’s red velvet cake is named after his daughter, Reagan.
“That’s her favorite dessert,” Keene said.
Papa’s fried steak sandwich, which is a fried steak on a brioche bun, is named after Dennis Keene, his father and the children’s grandfather or “papa.”
Mimi’s fried chicken wings — six fried chicken wings served with hot sauce or ranch dressing — are named after Janice Keene, his mother and the children’s grandmother or “mimi.”
More options
The menu includes breakfast biscuits, french toast sticks, pancakes, sausage patties, bacon strips and hash brown patties.
Under the lunch section are the two steak burger options, the fried pork chop sandwich, the country fried steak sandwich, the wings, an all beef hot dog, beer battered onion rings, the steak fries and red velvet cake.
“We serve breakfast and lunch all day long,” Keene said. “So, if they want a steak burger at 5 a.m. or they want a sausage biscuit at two o’clock, they can get it.”
He only serves what’s on the menu.
“I wanted to keep it simple ... just starting out,” Keene said.
By keeping it simple, Keene said he can provide a quality product.
Everything is cooked to order, he added.
The new spot is geared toward takeout but offers a few tables and chairs for those who want to dine in.
Operating hours are 5 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The number is 786-858-2470.
This story was originally published February 8, 2023 at 5:00 AM.