Casey Jones Village is a place where history can’t be escaped. But, the largest tourism attraction in Jackson is being transformed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a press release from Ginger Williams, after serving a nationally recognized buffet for 53 of their 55 year history, Clark and Brooks Shaw will transition to family-style dining at the Old Country Store in the first week of June 2020.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed so much about our lives in such a short timespan. We had been successful in running a quality buffet experience for decades, and overnight, business drops 75%. Our Dixie Cafe take-out kept us open, and we will continue to offer our new innovations there, including new menu items, family meal packs, and curbside and delivery service through our partners at WAITR,” said Brooks Shaw, General Manager. “We believe family-style dining makes the most sense for our current Guests from a safety and menu standpoint, and can be the catalyst for bringing in new Guests, particularly Millennial, Gen Z, and young family diners.”
Guests will be seated with their group only, unlike some other family-style experiences where smaller parties are combined to make tables of 8 or more. “It’s critical to us to make sure that our Guests know that dining here is just as safe as any other restaurant during these uncertain times,” said Clark Shaw, CEO and President of the Old Country Store.
Fans of southern food will still be able to enjoy as much soup, salad, and bread as they would like to. Each day will offer a selection of 8 meats and 12 vegetables, with Guests picking 3 meats and 4 vegetables as a group. Guests can request seconds or even thirds from their server. Every Guest gets to select one dessert. “We’ve paid special attention to the menu, making sure its a good combination of our traditional favorites and new southern dishes, along with considerations for kids and Guests who want healthy choices,” said Clark Shaw.
Menu highlights include:
– The Old Country Store’s famous fried chicken and Baba’s cracklin cornbread
– New meat choices as daily specials such as bourbon glazed ham, homemade crab cakes, fried pork chops with pan gravy, house smoked BBQ chicken thighs, and shrimp and grits
– New vegetables such as creamed spinach, roasted broccolini and carrots, Limpin’ Susan, sweet potato salad with a sweet citrus dressing, Mexican street cream corn, broccoli cauliflower salad with a spiced dressing, and white cheddar Mac and cheese with roasted tomatoes.
– Traditional items include fried Mississippi Delta catfish, chicken & dumplings, beef liver, BBQ bologna, meatloaf, turnip and collard greens, green beans, mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing with giblet gravy, squash and cabbage.
– Breakfast is also getting a makeover: The Dixie Cafe will serve breakfast plates and al a carte Monday-Sunday, and family-style in the dining room Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Everyone gets homemade biscuits, jams and butters, a hot beverage, and the table selects two mains dishes, two meats, and two sides.
– All meals will have a selection of appetizers and shareable that can purchased for the table at a additional cost.
“We want to create menus around the seasons too, so we’ll be offering specials and limited time offers that change from summer to fall, fall to winter, and so on,” said Brooks Shaw. The summer limited-time-offer will be Ratatouille, a French dish made of zucchini, squash, eggplants, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. The Shaw’s add a southern twist with chopped okra.
The most fundamental thing about the Old Country Store remains the same – gathering around the table, building memories and eating food just like Grandma used to make. “This is still an all-you-care-to-enjoy experience, and we ask everyone, ‘where can you get a better value for what you can get here?'”
