MILLIANS: Next on restaurant scene

Published 11:05 am Friday, March 28, 2025

Ok, I have not given up on getting a Red Lobster and an Olive Garden to this town.

Those were your favorites when I conducted a poll a while back. But things move slowly. Very slowly.

When I read the other day that Olive Garden serves 529 million breadsticks a year, I’m thinking: We are not greedy people here in Milledgeville. A few hundred thousand breadsticks a year would do us just fine, thanks.

Then I read that it’s “Dunking Time” at Red Lobster. I assume that’s dunking lobster into freshly drawn butter. Wow! And, I saw that Red Lobster is touting 10 all-star lobster dishes, from lobster bisque, lobster dip and lobster rolls to lobster and shrimp linguini.

But I am not a bitter man. I’m moving on from Olive Garden and Red Lobster toward some restaurants that might be more attainable. (But OG and RL would still be welcome!)

Also, let me remind you that I am a huge fan of locally-owned and locally-run restaurants. Mom-and-Pop restaurant vs. a chain? I always go with the mom-and-pop joint, just like Guy Fieri.

But, for variety’s sake, here are some restaurant chains we might consider:

Steaks: Texas Roadhouse used to have these huge barrels of peanuts inside the front door that you could chow down on while you waited for a table. Now, they just give you a bag of peanuts. Eat now or take home.

Their steaks aren’t the best in the world, but what can you expect for less than 20 bucks? But I like everything else — the salad, loaded baked potato and the rolls. Oh, those rolls! Hot and fresh. I’m full before the entrée even comes. I like the ambience of Texas Roadhouse, too, with all those TVs for sporting events.

You might like Outback better. And there’s always Logan’s Roadhouse. Our Longhorn’s does a good job, but a little competition might improve it.

BBQ: Old Clinton stands alone, although there are plenty of places within an hour’s drive. I like Old Clinton, but why can’t we have a BBQ place with more than just pulled pork and ribs?

How about a chain like City Barbeque, which started in Ohio. Before you say that I have lost my mind because Yankees don’t know how to do barbeque like Southerners, let me explain.

I have eaten at City Barbeque in Columbus, Ohio, several times while visiting my granddaughters. (They like it, too.) City has it all: brisket, pulled pork, chicken, sausage and ribs. I love their brisket. It’s tender and juicy. City has great sides, too, including some of the best French fries I have ever eaten.

City Barbeque is spreading to the south, with new locations in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

Other possibilities include one of the many BBQ chains that started in Texas. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, for instance. Their slogan? Legit. Texas. Barbecue. They now have 10 locations in Georgia, mostly in the Atlanta area.

Or how about two other Texas BBQ chains: Soulman’s Bar-B-Que and Smokey Mo’s.

I’d welcome any of them.

Fried chicken/chicken fingers: We’ve already got a ton of chicken places, and I see that Popeye’s has reopened. I like Zaxby’s, Huey McGoo’s and Chick-fil-A.

The fast-food chicken market generates almost $60 billion a year, and I’m sure Milledgeville already makes a sizeable contribution to that.

First on my wish list would be Raising Cane’s. I don’t know why — their chicken tenders just taste better.

There’s also Layne’s (born in College Station, Texas, home of the Texas A&M Aggies), Slim Chickens (which also has chicken and waffles), and Farmer Boys (chicken and burgers).

Miscellaneous: And now, for something different.

Let’s start with Mo’ Bettahs, because I like the name. This restaurant chain was started in Bountiful, Utah, by Hawaiian-born brothers Kimo and Kalani Mack. Stop in for some poi, Kalua pig and poke (diced raw fish marinated and served on rice). And don’t forget the Spam.

Or how about Huckleberry’s (Finn or Hound?) Breakfast and Lunch. It’s southern cooking with a California twist, including Mardi Gras beignets, Cajun benedict and chicken and waffles. The restaurant is decorated in a Cajun theme and features Zydeco music.

Restaurants come and restaurants go.

Long gone are the days when the Dairy Queen, Burger Chef and the Plowboy were just about the only fast-food restaurants in town.

Our variety gets better every day — for fast-food and sit-down restaurants.

But there’s always room for more, free breadsticks or not.

—Rick Millians, a 1970 Baldwin High grad, is retired after working at newspapers in Georgia, Ohio and South Carolina. Reach him at rdmillians@aol.com.