The long line of neighboring restaurants that stretch the length of Miss. Highway 12 through Starkville will welcome a new addition. Bones Restaurant, occupant of the old McDonald’s building, opened its doors Jan. 29 to unveil what is promised to be some of the best food in town. Owners Paul and Shelley Hopkins, both Starkville natives, are excited about the prospect of hosting and feeding the very town and university that they have come to love. “Shelley and I both grew up here, and we really wanted to open a restaurant where people could come enjoy an atmosphere like that of Memphis,” Paul said. “With the good food, affordable prices and cool ‘blues’ d?cor, we believe that Bones will provide MSU students and Starkville residents alike, with a pleasant dining experience.”
Bones is an original, the first of its kind in Starkville, but the restaurant is affiliated with Neely’s out of Memphis, Tenn. With the 20-year success of Neely’s, the Hopkins approached the Neely’s owners about opening a similar restaurant in the heart of Mississippi.
“We came up with the idea of opening a barbecue restaurant here in our hometown, and we were successful in getting Neely’s to show us how to provide a great product as far as preparing the food and training our employees,” Paul said.
Paul, who graduated from MSU as an accounting major and works as a certified public accountant for Watkins, Ward and Stafford, said that he expects to do well in the restaurant business despite having competitors in the area.
“We offer good food at very affordable prices, and this, coupled with the comfortable atmosphere of the restaurant, should provide a successful recipe for a restaurant,” Paul said. One can expect to find smoked pork, beef and chicken, as well as catfish, burgers and chicken tenders on the Bones menu. One of the most popular orders of the day are Bones’ spicy chicken wings and fried pickles, which Paul said he has seen in high demand.
Shelley and Paul are huge fans of MSU and would like to encourage all students to come enjoy Bones’ food and atmosphere, and with a slogan like: “You can taste it down to your bones,” how can one resist such an invitation?
For more information on Bones itself and the menu, call the restaurant at 323-0033.