Homewood Diner
Homewood Diner has picked up where Anchorage left off.
Opened in 2009, the Homewood Diner owes its variety of food and great customer service to a couple of veterans from Anchorage, a downtown Homewood meat-and-three staple from 1941 to 2008.
“I have been doing this for over 35 years,” waitress Linda Baker said. “When Anchorage closed, I didn’t know what I was going to do. But when I saw the opportunity to be a part of a traditional restaurant again, I jumped at it.”
The former home of a 1960s full-service Shell gas station specializes in nostalgia with the old radios and customer service that accompany its menu.
“You have to provide good food first to keep ’em coming back,” owner Keith Lather said. “My goal is to hijack your tongue and give you great food. That is most important.”
Joining Baker from the crew of Anchorage is an old-school cook fondly known as Ms. Adela. Lather said he prayed for help to get the restaurant going, and it was answered with decades of culinary experience.
“Ms. Adela works hard every day to offer five to seven meats and 10 to 12 veggies,” Lather said. “Simmering for hours, her home cooking presents traditional Southern dishes, breakfast foods, burgers, hoagies, salads and plenty of other made-to-order cuisines.”
Ms. Adela, Baker and the entire staff offer generous portions of breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, breakfast only on Saturdays, and breakfast and lunch on Sundays. Lunch is served as a cafeteria line with the intent of getting you in and out quickly. Any meal can be ordered at any time of day. can be ordered at any time.
“We are blessed with commercial and residential clients all around our building,” Lather said. “So I can cater to the older crowd and young families with a good old sit-down Southern breakfast and dinner while appealing to the workers in this area with our cafeteria style lunch.”
Menu items include traditional beef tips, hamburger steak, fried catfish and fried chicken. And don’t forget all of the sides like mashed potatoes, turnip greens, fried okra or butter beans. These offerings do not even scrape the surface of the different foods and desserts that arrive at the tables every day.
Food is a passion at the Homewood Diner, with the intent of getting you full and happy right. And with an attitude that boasts macaroni and cheese as a vegetable, they serve it up with a variety of comfort food.
Homewood Diner offers catering and take-out, but the dine-in experience provides a down home feel.
“I love talking with everyone,” Lather said. “I have a 99-year-old that comes in every day along with many other folks that I have gotten to be very good friends with.”
Lather said he is thankful for the support that the community has shown. He hopes to offer his recipes for full stomachs for many years to come.