Starkville isn’t like LA, with flashing, neon lights and something crazy to do every hour. But it does have the next best thing-food. The city even boast a few 24-hour dining options, so when you’ve got the midnight munchies or a 3 a.m. study session, go ahead and splurge on some local cuisine.
The area’s three 24-hour diners-Hardee’s, Starkville Caf and Waffle House- all feature meals which more or less run under $6.00.
“We started 24-hours in just the drive through and after it did so well, we decided the whole store should go 24-hours,” said Hardee’s shift leader Joe Thomas, who’s worked there for four years. Hardee’s has had 24-hour service for two years now, he added.
Many customers scavenging for food in the wee hours of the morning are students, Thomas said. Exam week of each semester proves especially busy.
“We even have students that come in and study,” Thomas said.
“It offers students a place to study when they don’t want to be in the library; when they want a change of scenery,” said LaWanda Yarbrough Frazier, waitress and cook at Starkville Caf. “The regulars just enjoy the food, and the students do too.”
For students low on cash, these restaurants take an assortment of paper and plastic. Most accept credit cards, checks, cash and debit.
“We are the only store in the area that has an ATM machine,” Thomas said.
But offering 24-hour service doesn’t just help late-night customers.
Hardee’s sees approximately 20 percent of its business between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., Thomas said.
“People that are getting off work or people that work the graveyard shift at plants, they stop by,” Thomas said.
Similarly, midnight to 3 a.m. is the busiest time for Waffle House, said waitress Demetrias Harris. She estimated half of the store’s business comes
at night.
“This is the busiest shift,” Harris said. “It’s the longest shift we have.”
“We get all kinds of people in here-like Elvis impersonators,” Frazier said, laughing. “That was Thanksgiving night.”
So whether you’re in the mood for beef, biscuits or, Starkville’s 24-hour diners have got you covered.
WAFFLE HOUSE
If you’re hunting a zoo-like variety of food, grab a red-seated bar stool or booth at the Waffle House on U.S. Highway 82. The menu may be simple, but it crams in an unmatched assortment from egg platters to patty melts and steaks within a single glance.
Unlike the other 24-hour locales, Waffle House menu items don’t have any time restrictions. Customers can buy steaks at 3 a.m and eggs after noon.
Not to mention the catch of its trade-the waffles.
“There’s not too many places you can go to get waffles besides Waffle House,” waitress Demetrias Harris said.
HARDEES
Few fast-food places capture a personal atmosphere, but when you step inside the Hardees on Highway 12, it almost seems like home. The restaurant is clean, and the people are friendly.
But more exciting than its feel, is its food.
“That Agnus beef-it’s the best meat,” shift leader Joe Thomas said of the new “Thickburger.” Burgers, by far its main seller, are even offered in low-carb versions now.
But that’s not all, when the ice cream sensation kicks in, Hardee’s has got students covered. It sells Blue Bell ice cream, but is limited in variety to favorites like cookies and cream, peach, vanilla, butter pecan and black walnut.
Breakfast starts at 4 a.m, but customers can still purchase regular menu items Cinnamon N’Raisen biscuits, chicken and sausage biscuits and biscuits ‘n gravy. With so many biscuits it’s hard to believe the biscuits are made from scratch with real buttermilk, Thomas said. And don’t forget the hash browns.
STARKVILLE CAF…
The little country diner, which opened in 1945, is nestled on Main Street provides one quality neither Hardee’s nor Waffle House can-home cooked food. Virtually every menu item is made from scratch, said cook and waitress
LaWanda Yarbrough Frazier.
“It’s home cooked food,” Frazier said. “If there’s something not on that menu that they want to eat, if we have the ingredients to fix it, we do,”
Frazier said.
“A lot of people come in just to eat breakfast,” waitress/cook LaWanda Yarbrough Frazier said.
For something a little more southern, don’t forget the grits. The caf’s grits were voted best in the South by Southern Living magazine, Frazier said.
There’s a lunch special every day, and its usually different. Popular specials may hang around for the whole week, Frazier explained.
Entrees like rib-eye, chili, seafood platters and gumbo are readily available. And the cobblers-peach, cherry and apple-rank among the best
desserts, Frazier said.
“That’s the best you are ever going to eat,” Frazier said, smiling.
The restaurant does have some dining restrictions. It does not serve breakfast from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday because of the lunch special; however, it does provide breakfast all day on Saturday and Sunday.