Café opens in Lockridge

BY NICOLE HESTER-WILLIAMS

Golden Triangle News Service

LOCKRIDGE ? Henry County resident Matt McDowell has always had a passion for cooking good food.

?I learned to cook from my grandma; I love the smell of her kitchen,? McDowell said, adding that he hopes to recreate that experience for his patrons when they come to his new family-run restaurant called MC Do Well?s Café in Lockridge.

Nearly one month in business, McDowell and his wife and business partner Carrie are renting the city-owned building at 101 S. Broadway Ave., where they serve up locally grown cuisine while providing a place to socialize as well.

?It?s kind of a keep-the-community-alive and have a meeting place for people to go to,? said city clerk Joyce LeDuc.

LeDuc said the building was erected by the city in 1969 to answer a need in the community, and its first operators were Keith and Peggy Parcell who ran Country Cousin?s Café.

?The city has always owned the property, but it?s been operated by several different people,? LeDuc said.

?I don?t think it was vacant for very long before the McDowells answered the ad ? maybe around two or three months,? said former Lockridge Mayor Kenneth McCarty. ?They?ve got a neat little restaurant there; it?s really good.?

MC Do Well?s, which is a play on the McDowells? name, is a full-service restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

?We have burgers and breakfast all day,? Matt said. ?All of our meat is fresh, never frozen. The bacon and black oak smoked ham is all hand sliced.?

For the McDowells, the restaurant is more than a business opportunity, it?s a dream come true.

?I?ve always enjoyed cooking and I wanted to get the restaurant in Rome, but I couldn?t find out when it was [available]. I found out that this place was open, and I jumped on it! I didn?t want to kick myself in the butt later about it ? you only live once,? Matt said. ?It?s my first restaurant experience, and it?s a lot of work ? I don?t think I?ve ever worked this hard, but I?m excited when I get up. I?ve been putting in 75 to 80 hours a week, but it doesn?t feel like it.?

Carrie agreed.

?It?s the hardest work he?s done, but it?s nice to see my husband?s eyes light up,? she said. ?He?s got a passion for it.?

The McDowells? children, Caleb, 16, and Danielle, 14, are also happy about their family?s new venture.

?I think they were shocked, but excited at the same time,? Carrie said. ?I think they didn?t believe it was really going to happen, and now that they?ve seen it in full, they love it.?

Carrie said Caleb also loves to cook, and he?s currently enrolled in culinary arts courses at Mt. Pleasant High School.

The McDowells hope MC Do Well?s becomes a permanent fixture in Lockridge.

?We don?t want to give up until our 20-year goal,? Carrie said. ?We love working with the city, it?s a great community and they supported and encouraged us right away.?

Some of that encouragement came in the form of free rent.

?We usually do that when [a new business] starts. We give them maybe three months or so free rent to help them get started,? LeDuc said.

The McDowells say the restaurant, which opened Aug. 1, is already gaining traction with the local community.

?All of the farm guys come here in the morning for breakfast, coffee and gossip,? Matt said. ?I heard someone say ?those were the best biscuits and gravy I?ve had in a long, long time.??