The restaurants sprang up throughout the South, starting in small hotels and boarding houses and expanding to accommodate the growing number of laborers. Ga. Soon, she realized she couldn't feed people fast enough at the long picnic tables she used. Then the mill burned down, so she relocated to the current site and switched to the serving style that defines Bea's. In the middle of each table, a short column rises, crowned by a Lazy Susan with a sneeze guard. A waitress stands watch to refill the platters.
Customers cherish the atmosphere as well.
The dining room is a showcase of shades of brown, from the wall paneling to the floors. The maitre'd wears sneakers. You meet no strangers in a country atmosphere. That helps explain Bea's popularity. The waiting line for the 160-seat dining room often snakes out the door and into the parking lot.