After 25 years in business, the Adams family has a lot to be grateful for.
Rick and Nancy Adams moved their family to Chattanooga from south Georgia, where they ran the original Southern Star restaurant—known for its hearty lunch buffet and a more refined dinner menu. In 2000, once settled in their new city, they opened the next iteration of Southern Star in a shotgun-style space on Market Street. The restaurant quickly outgrew the space, prompting a move to the former freight depot at Warehouse Row. Six years later, the couple seized the chance to buy into a building on Chattanooga’s Southside, securing the ideal setting to build their dream full-service restaurant.
“There wasn’t a lot going on at the time, but the TVA building was right there,” Rick recalls. “We felt like it was the right place for us to be.”
They were right—Southern Star has called 1300 Broad Street home ever since.
Along the way, the Adamses opened a counter-service, takeout-only location on Signal Mountain. It gave residents a convenient way to grab meals without making the drive down the mountain. Years later, this model would become the blueprint for the adaptations that helped Southern Star weather the challenges of the 2020 pandemic.
True to its name, Southern Star has always centered on classic Southern cooking. At lunch, a self-serve hot bar features blue-plate specials and longtime customer favorites. Afterward, guests can browse a wide selection of prepared meals, sides, and snacks to take home—an easy option for those who don’t want to cook a full meal. Regulars often say they’re grateful for a place that still serves timeless Southern staples, especially vegetables prepared the way they remember: simple, fresh, flavorful, and satisfying.
Southern Star has always been a family affair. Rick and Nancy remain deeply involved, with Nancy leading the kitchen and their daughter, Claire, serving as general manager. Together, Nancy and Claire craft weekly menus, pulling from a collection of beloved dishes the restaurant has served over the years. Many recipes trace back to Nancy’s childhood, meals she once cooked alongside her family. Over time, the menu has expanded beyond its Southern roots to include pastas, cold salads, and globally inspired favorites—all still made from scratch.
Thanksgiving is Southern Star’s biggest week of the year. The restaurant offers a special holiday menu that covers everything except the turkey. Customers can pick up all the traditional sides, breads, and desserts—cornbread dressing, green beans, squash casserole, sweet potato soufflé, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin pie, and more. To make the process simple, there are no pre-orders; everything is first come, first served. Dishes are available in both family-sized portions that feed up to ten, and smaller sizes perfect for two or three, making it easy for families of any size to enjoy a Southern Thanksgiving.
After 25 years, Southern Star has become woven into the fabric of Chattanooga life. The Adamses have watched multiple generations of customers grow up alongside the restaurant, and the feeling of gratitude runs both ways.
“Running a restaurant can be stressful, but walking out to see our regulars in the dining room is always so heartwarming,” Claire says.
Someone from the family is in the restaurant every day, and longtime staff members add to the sense of continuity. Regulars even notice when a new guest walks through the door, a testament to the tight-knit community that’s formed within its walls.
For the Adamses, Chattanooga has proven to be the perfect place to build their dream: a family-run restaurant where both the food and the relationships are made from scratch.