Jackson, Tennessee – Brooks Shaw’s Old Country Store in the Casey Jones Village relocated the Wellwood Store, marking the beginning of the initial phase of construction on the restaurant’s new drive-thru service for guests, which is scheduled to open in late 2023.
“We’ve been discussing this for more than five years and officially in the planning phases for a little more than a year now,” said Brooks Shaw, Old Country Store General Manager, “It was something my dad, Clark, and I discussed many times, but we didn’t want to pull the trigger until we were confident in our plan to serve Guests quickly.”
According to a press release from Tajuana Cheshier – The Bramblett Group – the drive-thru will be located on the northside of the building, off the Dixie Cafe, and will include two service windows in the building’s expanded north end. There will be a new front entrance for the Guests visiting Dixie Cafe.
The Wellwood Store was relocated to the south end of the restaurant.
With site work plans approved by the City of Jackson, the expansion represents a million-dollar investment in facilities and jobs, the largest since they opened their newly constructed 4,000-square-foot kitchen in 2017.
“This is not only going to provide delicious Southern-Soul food with convenient service, but also will help the company continue to grow, hire great people, and reinvest in community events and activities,” Shaw said, “The goal is to open the drive-thru in late 2023.
“At The Old Country Store, we want to provide services that make our Guests lives easier, and this is another way we can do that.”
The Wellwood Store is one of the historically significant buildings in Casey Jones Village. It was moved to the Village from its original location in Haywood County in the early 2000s, when Clark Shaw purchased the store as a tribute to his late father, his father’s generation, and the Wellwood community.
The Shaw family credits the store as the inspiration for the Old Country Store, as it is where the original Brooks Shaw worked his first job.
“We’ll attach the Wellwood Store to the dining room for a private dining space that we also can use on the busiest days like Mother’s Day, Christmas Eve and some Sundays,” Shaw said, “We can already seat and serve 300 guests … this placement will provide comfortable seating for 50 more.”
He is quick to point out having big dreams and plans is a part of the family legacy.
“My office, which was dad’s (Clark’s) old office, is covered in hand-drawn sketches that he made of various ideas. I sit each day at my grandfather’s (Brooks’) desk and look at them.
“Dad not only left us a lot of great ideas, but also made sure the Old Country Store would survive and thrive after him.”
Shaw notes that ideas have never been a problem for the team that runs the Old Country Store.
“We’re just getting started.”
(PHOTO: From left, Joe Mitchell, Terry Logan, Richard Zaher, OCS General Manager Brooks Shaw, OCS Chief Financial Officer Mike Seals)
