Melody Clark, owner of Melodee's Diner, displays a Sweet and Salty Burger, a beef patty served on a Belgian waffle with a bourbon cream cheese spread, Swiss cheese, brown-sugar-fried bacon and a fried egg, served with the diner's choice of house chips or fries.Hot on the heels of its grand opening two months ago, Melodee's Diner in East Ridge is bringing food and fun to families across Chattanooga. Owner and founder Melody Clark said it's always been a dream of hers to start a place that's different from anything in the area; just step one foot inside the door, and you'll see she's on her way.
"Every dish on the menu is named after one of my children, grandchildren, close family or friends," she said, adding how her love of family is behind her new venture.
"We serve all-American-style food, but it's widely varied. Truly, there's something for everyone."
She shared how the vision for Melodee's came to be through working with her best friend and their love of music. The restaurant revolves around that theme, and everything is musically centered from the décor and logo to family karaoke sessions and live entertainment the diner hosts on weekends.
"We've been working on bringing this to life since late last summer, and we're all just really proud of it," she said.
Clark stressed that all of Melodee's food is made fresh in-house daily from its many wing sauces, designed by her son, to hand-battered chicken tenders, fried chicken breasts and fried pickles.
"Nothing is processed, and all of our ingredients are top-notch," she said. "It's just the best quality of food that you can get."
The menu is a feast for the eyes with wonderfully unique finds such as the Sweet and Salty Burger. It's a freshly made beef patty served on a Belgian waffle with a bourbon cream cheese spread, Swiss cheese, brown-sugar-fried bacon and a fried egg, served with choice of house chips or fries.
"That's one of our signature sandwiches and probably the one I'm most proud of," Clark said. "You won't find anything like it anywhere else."
Daily specials feature everything guests love from a great Southern diner, including meats and veggies along with barbecue that's smoked just for the establishment.
"We have daily specials, like our chicken and dumplings on Tuesdays, but we also try to incorporate something that's not on the menu on a regular basis to offer variety," she said. "For example, we recently did our country-style steak with our homemade gravy, which is made from meat we pound out, and probably went through five or so pans of that in one afternoon."
Clark said that, in a word, "fabulous" would have to be how Melodee's is known by family, and, she believes, soon to be known across Chattanooga.
"If people can leave here and tell me what they had was like what their grandma used to cook when they were little, then that makes me happy and I know I've done my job well," she said.
Melodee's hosts karaoke and live entertainment on Fridays from 7 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 6 to 10 p.m. Happy hour is from 5 to 7 p.m. daily.
Clark also noted that kids eat free on Tuesdays with the purchase of an adult entree.