Grumpy’s, a new addition to Golden Triangle eateries, offers Starkville diners a unique picnic style dinning experience.
Manager Joey Frolich said the style of the restaurant is neither fast food nor bar and grill, but features a variety of foods including chicken, burgers, hotdogs and soon crawfish.
“The recommended specialty to get when going to this restaurant is a Starkville City Jail Burger, which is a Grumpy’s styled burger,” Frolich said.
He also said other dishes, also have unique names and Grumpy’s unique flavor.
“We also offer the Jail Bird and the Big Dog which is a Grumpy’s styled chicken sandwich and hot dog.”
Frolich said the restaurant tries to buy the best available meat, regardless of the price.
“The food is made up of nothing but the best product using the best ingredients available,” he said.
The owner, George Chesteen, an attorney from Arizona, founded and created Grumpy’s in mid 2008.
Chesteen’s father, Vernon Chesteen, originally owned the property until his death on Christmas Eve of 2007, leaving the land to George.
“George believed that Starkville did a lot for him, so in turn he wanted to give something back to the community,” said Frolich. “He also wanted to make sure that this restaurant was more than just come and eat.”
George not only created Grumpy’s but also some other local businesses in Starkville.
These include The University Motel and the Wishy Washy Laundromat.
“The University Motel was one of the hotels where Johnny Cash stayed during one of his tours,” said Frolich. “Wishy Washy is a solar powered laundromat that was created for the local college students to come down and wash.”
Frolich said Grumpy’s employees are devoted to the restaraunt.
Mississippi State student, Angel Jones, said, “the waiters were nice. They work with you if it’s your first time to eat there. They suggest things for you to try.”
“There is only one Grumpy’s and that is the one located right here in Starkville,” he said.
As a relatively new establishment, Frolich said Grumpy’s is continuing to seek ways to please its customers, one of these ways is the garage-sized LCD television behind the restaurant.
Frolich said the screen is made of panels similar to those on the new high-definition video board at Mississippi State.
“We are always open to suggestions from our customers on how to make us better serve the community” he said.
Starville resident Jason Johnson said, “It was well worth the thirteen dollars.”
“We really want this restaurant to be more that just somewhere for people to come and eat. We want this to be a hangout spot,” Frolich said.
Grumpy’s is located on 105 Martin Luther King Drive and is currently open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.