Bucky's Family Restaurant
Columbia, TN Photo courtesy Tony Craig
If you're rolling through Columbia around breakfast or lunchtime, the old roadside sign at Bucky's Restaurant is hard to miss. The bold lettering and cartoon chicken proudly advertising "Family Restaurant" have been catching the attention of hungry travelers for years. It's the kind of sign that makes you wonder if it might be worth pulling over, and chances are you'll see plenty of cars already parked outside. 06-06
Walk through the front door and you'll find the kind of hometown diner that's becoming harder to find. Breakfast is served alongside Southern comfort food like biscuits and gravy, burgers, meat-and-three plates, and homemade banana pudding. The place has a friendly, easygoing feel, and it's not unusual to find regulars lingering over coffee while newcomers quickly figure out why the parking lot stays busy.
Bucky's Family Restaurant
Columbia, TN Photo courtesy Tony Craig
Bucky's isn't fancy, and it doesn't try to be. Owner Lyle is often out greeting customers or helping around the dining room, giving the restaurant the kind of personal touch that's easy to appreciate. It's the sort of place where the waitress seems to know half the customers by name, the grill never stays quiet for long, and another pot of coffee is never far away.
If you're exploring the back roads of Tennessee, this is exactly the kind of stop that is a good stop. A colorful roadside sign, a family restaurant that's stood the test of time, and a good excuse to pull off the highway for a while.
UPDATE: Bucky's Family Restaurant remains open, and the vintage roadside sign continues welcoming hungry travelers along Carmack Boulevard. 08-26
Little Pigs Barbecue
Statesville, NC Photo courtesy Tony Craig
Those two little pigs in chef hats make it pretty hard to drive by without smiling. Sitting atop the marquee, they welcome hungry travelers to Little Pigs Barbecue, one of Statesville's longtime barbecue stops. It's the kind of sign that catches your eye first and makes you wonder if it's time for lunch. 03-06
Little Pigs opened here in 1963, and while most barbecue restaurants around this part of North Carolina are known for Lexington-style barbecue, this one took a different path. The founders traveled to Memphis to learn the art of barbecue before opening the restaurant, giving Little Pigs its own unique flavor from the very beginning.
The marquee is still the real attraction. Those two cheerful pigs have been inviting motorists to pull in for more than sixty years, proving that sometimes a fun roadside sign is all it takes to make a place memorable.
UPDATE: Little Pigs Barbecue is still open, and the familiar marquee continues greeting travelers in Statesville. 08-26
This Is It Sandwich Shop (Demolished)
Boger City, NC Photo courtesy Tony Craig
If the rooftop sign tells you "This Is It," who could argue? Perched above the building along Highway 27, This Is It Sandwich Shop welcomed hungry travelers with one of those simple roadside signs that didn't need a lot of flash to get your attention. Sometimes the name alone was enough to make you smile. 09-05
The little sandwich shop became known for its Poor Boy sandwiches, and according to Tony Craig's visit in 2005, the prices hadn't changed much in more than twenty years. It had the kind of hometown feel that seemed right at home along the old highway, where a quick meal and friendly service were often just as important as the food itself.
The rooftop sign is what really makes this place memorable. Rising above the building, it could be spotted from down the road, pointing motorists toward another classic local stop that might otherwise have been easy to miss.
UPDATE: The sandwich shop is gone today. The building has been demolished, the rooftop sign has been removed, and the property has been redeveloped. 08-26
Bar-B-Que Wagon
Bryson City, NC Photo courtesy Tony Craig
Heading into Bryson City, this is one barbecue stop that's hard to miss. The roadside sign for Bar-B-Que Wagon was built to catch the eye of passing motorists, and it still does a great job of letting hungry travelers know there's barbecue just ahead. It's exactly the kind of sign that seems made for a mountain highway, standing out just enough to make you wonder if maybe it's time to pull over. 06-06
The restaurant has been welcoming locals and Smoky Mountain visitors for years from its spot just off the main road through town. Whether you're spending the day exploring Great Smoky Mountains National Park, riding the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, or simply wandering the back roads of western North Carolina, it makes a convenient place to stop before heading on to the next adventure. Places like this are part of what make road trips memorable.
Bar-B-Que Wagon
Bryson City, NC Photo courtesy Tony Craig
The sign fits the restaurant perfectly. It's simple, easy to read, and has the kind of honest roadside appeal that doesn't need flashing lights or fancy gimmicks to get your attention. Sometimes all it takes is a good-looking sign and the promise of barbecue to convince a traveler to turn into the parking lot.
After you've ordered, don't be in too much of a hurry to leave. The outdoor deck overlooking the river is a nice place to slow down for a while before getting back on the road. Between the mountain scenery, the smell of barbecue, and the familiar roadside sign waiting out front, it's easy to see why so many people make this one of their regular stops whenever they're passing through Bryson City.
UPDATE: Bar-B-Que Wagon is still serving customers today, and the familiar roadside sign continues welcoming hungry travelers to Bryson City. 08-26
Mrs. Roger's Restaurant (Closed)
Claxton, GA Photo courtesy Andy Morales
Driving through Claxton, this old roadside sign for Mrs. Roger's Restaurant is the kind of thing that makes you slow down for a second look. Standing along Duval Street, it looks like it's been pointing hungry travelers toward the restaurant for decades. 06-06
Mrs. Roger's was a longtime stop along busy U.S. 301, back when plenty of vacationers and truck traffic passed through town. Inside, diners found Southern favorites, including the restaurant's well-known broasted chicken and buffet. Vintage postcards even promised, "Where Your Appetite Comes Alive!"
The restaurant has since closed, but it's easy to imagine the parking lot filled with travelers taking a break from the road before continuing south. Sometimes an old sign is enough to tell the story.
UPDATE: Mrs. Roger's Restaurant is permanently closed. It appears the sign was removed sometime before 2022. 08-26
Wishbone Fried Chicken (Gone)
Tifton, GA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Driving through Tifton, it's hard not to notice the giant wishbone standing out along the roadside. Wishbone Fried Chicken had one of those signs that practically begged for a photograph, and if the oversized wishbone wasn't enough, there was even a little piggy statue waiting at the base of the marquee. 06-06
The restaurant was part of a small Georgia-based chain that became known for its pressure-fried chicken and potato cakes. For years it was a familiar stop along Love Avenue, serving locals and travelers passing through town. The unusual sign made it one of those places that was easy to remember, even if you never stopped for a meal.
UPDATE: The Tifton Wishbone Fried Chicken closed around 2018. The building later housed another restaurant before becoming vacant, and the famous wishbone sign and pig statue were removed in 2023. 08-26
Bucky's Family Restaurant
Bucky's Family Restaurant
Little Pigs Barbecue
This Is It Sandwich Shop (Demolished)
Bar-B-Que Wagon
Bar-B-Que Wagon
Mrs. Roger's Restaurant (Closed)
Wishbone Fried Chicken (Gone)
