Ameasha Rakestraw stands outside of Roy’s Grill, which she reopened last weekend.Ameasha Rakestraw didn’t have to struggle to come up with a name or décor – only a new menu – for her first-ever restaurant.
Last Saturday, she reopened Roy’s Grill, a landmark diner in downtown Rossville which the former owner closed this summer.
Roy’s Grill has been in business since 1934, Rakestraw said, and Rossville Mayor Teddy Harris advised her to stick with the same name.
“He said, ‘Don’t confuse anybody; just leave it,'” she said. “So that’s what we did.
“The only thing that will be changed is just the menu and the owners.”
Burgers aren’t on Roy’s new menu, which has four “everyday items” that range in price from $7.99 to $9.99: meatloaf, chicken and waffles, fried chicken and a pasta bake. Daily specials include Uncle Travis Tuesdays, featuring a $7.99 roast with gravy and two sides, and Daddy Fridays, offering an $11.99 platter of fried shrimp and catfish with fries and coleslaw.
“We’re not going to offer diner food,” Rakestraw said. “We’re just going to try to be home-style, just offering good food, trying to be family-oriented.”
Rakestraw spent the last decade working as an insurance agent. But before that, Rakestraw – who’s married to Sylvester Freeman, owner of the Freeman Bed & Things mattress store at 1800 E. Main St. – was a baker at The Chattanoogan hotel and at Rembrandt’s Coffee House.
So Roy’s menu will include such desserts as apple and peach cobbler and mini pineapple upside-down cake.
Rakestraw originally wanted to open a bakery. But when Roy’s Grill – the business, not the building – became available, she jumped at the opportunity, thinking she could help make the longtime restaurant a hot spot that would help keep Rossville’s downtown vibrant.
“I would also like to give back to the community when kids are on Thanksgiving and winter breaks,” she said. “Any kid in the neighborhood that can get to us, we will provide them a sack lunch while their parents are working.”
Mayor Harris said he’s happy to see Roy’s Grill back in business.
“Of course we’re glad that they’re back open,” he said, citing it as one of the city’s top landmarks. “I would say it is: Roy’s Grill, the John Ross House and the duck pond.”
Another Roy’s Grill tradition that Rakestraw will honor is closing the restaurant on Sundays.
“Right in the restaurant, above the door, it says, ‘Go to church on Sunday,'” Rakestraw said. “We’ll keep it closed on Sunday to keep the tradition as well.”