Gary and Dionn Lanton took over the business in October. They also own Holy Smokes BBQ in Dublin.
DUBLIN, Ga. — If you’ve been to Laurens County, chances are you may have heard of Lou Ann’s.
They’re known as the home of “Georgia’s biggest homemade biscuit.” Ownership changed last October, and now, their dining room is back open after being closed for years.
Linda Mimbs is an assistant manager at Lou Ann’s who’s been working there for over 45 years. She said the dining room always felt like a piece of home to her.
“I mean everybody knew each other, everybody just caught up like they were family, and that’s just what we feel like they are,” Mimbs said.
The dining room opened back up on Tuesday morning. Husband-and-wife Gary and Dionn Lanton also own Holy Smokes BBQ in Dublin. When they took over Lou Ann’s last October, they knew opening the dining room would be on of their top priorities.
“It was very important you know to bring that because I felt like a lot of the older people here in town, this is where they came for breakfast. They came and they socialized here. There is a table that’s going right in the middle and it’s called the R.O.M.E.O. table. And it’s called ‘real old men eating out,'” Gary Lanton said.
The table will be back — along with the same biscuit recipe — and the same staff. Stephanie Miller made sure of that when she sold the business, which is named for her mom Lou Ann Fordham, who started the restaurant.
“So I started praying about what to do with the restaurant. I didn’t wanna turn the people over because that was a promise I made to my mother. That was the one thing she said, is take care of my good employees. And they, most of ’em have been here since they were 14 or 15. Several of ’em have,” Miller said.
Her mom worked there from the beginning. In the 1960’s the building was opened as a Burger Chef. Miller said that was one of the first fast food options in Dublin. It changed names over the years, but her mom took over the building in the mid-1980’s, and gave it a new name: Jo Jo’s Biscuit’s and Burgers.
When her mom retired in 2012 from health issues, Miller said she and her sister took it over, and changed the name to honor her mom. She said selling the business to the Lantons was an answered prayer.
“I felt really comfortable turning the business over to him. My sister’s very thrilled. She thinks he’s doing a great job. She loves it. We’re just- as a family, we’re happy with it,” Miller said.
The restaurant will keep her mom’s name, but you may notice a few things different. For example, the Lanton’s are starting a Coffee Club, adding a new signature sausage to the menu.
“They always have had a tradition for excellence, and doing things the right way and quality being the number one thing above all,” Gary Lanton said.
Right now, the restaurant will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 5:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. In March, they plan to open on Mondays and start opening for lunch again with some of Lou Ann’s classic recipes. They plan to start the lunch service in mid-March and their hours will change to 5:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. when they do.
Gary Lanton said he’s excited to bring back her old recipes, along with a daily special each day, like grilled chicken or fried pork chops. Their dining room is open this week, but he said they’re still working on the finishing touches. They plan to start offering food delivery, catering, and more options in the future as the restaurant ramps up production.
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