Diners are deeply ingrained in American culture, appearing as central elements in countless novels, movies, TV shows and songs.
Jerry's Country Kitchen in Carrollton is the epitome of a family-owned diner, welcoming everyone from celebrities visiting town to local regulars to stop by for the restaurant's famous homemade buttery biscuits.
Jerry Eadie is the owner of the diner, which was opened in 1976 by “Miz Jerry” and her late husband Sammy. Sammy was eager to start the diner together and Eadie was eager to please him, so the two got to work, Eadie said.
From there, Jerry became fascinated with the people coming and going during the morning rush hour and dedicated himself to serving hot, homemade breakfasts to the families he'd connected with and watched over for decades.
While the biscuits are famous throughout the South, Jerry's is also known for its community giving and family-friendly atmosphere during chaotic early morning hours in its stores.
Jerry's Country Kitchen has always had its weekly regulars, but unlike many other restaurants, sales at the small eatery on Bankhead Highway have actually increased during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Demand for Jerry's homemade breakfast was high, with customers coming from far and wide to try his fluffy morning biscuits, freshly scrambled cheesy eggs, grits and piping hot bacon.
Jerry said one of the most enjoyable parts of running the diner is watching her children grow up before her eyes and go on to have children of their own. In fact, some of her waitresses started working at the diner when they were in high school and now have families of their own. Her son, Brock Eady, is one of the many waitresses who grew up at the diner and returned to work there later in life.
Nearly 50 years after it first opened, Jerry's Country Kitchen is still a gathering place for customers who come in for a good old Southern breakfast, even if the family is someone they've never met before.
Jerry's Country Kitchen, 328 Bankhead Hwy., Carrollton, is open Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday from 5 a.m. to noon (closed Sunday).
