The Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce is excited to officially welcome Huddle House to the community, with a ceremonial Green Ribbon Welcome Wednesday, May 1st at 10:30.
The Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce highlighted Huddle House and the family behind it in our 2024 City Resource Guide, a publication produced annually that can be found in businesses across town, city hall, the chamber office and online. Here is their story:
After years of late nights leaving the gridiron, the Everett family would find themselves surrounded by familiar faces down the road as they were trying to find something to eat. Their family of 9 is extremely active and keeps the road hot with extracurricular activities. Time after time they after eating late at night along with friends and family after a game, they would ask themselves, “why can’t we open something like this in Greenbrier?”
So, they went for it. After much prayer, Jason and Sarah applied to be franchise owners of Huddle House and were selected amongst the sea of other applicants. The Greenbrier market was primed perfectly for the demographics and parameters of their specifications. Ironically, the Huddle House brand seemed to have more in common with the Everett Family than just their love of food. Huddle House was started in April 1964 in Decatur, Georgia by John Sparks, with the goal of providing a 24-hour eatery. It is named after the act of huddling in football. The original Huddle House in Decatur was established to give fans a place to eat after "the big game" on Friday nights. Which, is exactly what the Everett family is determined to do.
After being selected to move forward with the franchise the search was on to find the perfect location. After the first piece of land did not work out for several reasons, the current property became available. Ideally, it was even better than the previous spot because of it’s close proximity to Greenbrier Public Schools and is in the heart of the community. Immediately when you walk in, you can see why that would be important. The sense of community is literally plastered on every single wall. The nostalgia makes you feel right at home as you stare at the Greenbrier football memorabilia. There has never been a business thus far that has been this bold with blue and capturing the community’s story like ever before.
For months prior to opening the location, the Everetts scoured friends, family, and the community for photos of football record holders, former cheerleaders, and coaches. One special photo though that they were on the hunt for was of the first Greenbrier Panther football teams. Not only was this 1967-1968 team special, but Jason’s dad Jimmy was on that team.
After searching high and low, former player Butch White was thoughtful enough to save many things from his senior year back then. Tucked away in his scrapbook, a newspaper clipping captured the first photo ever taken of the team that started they dynasty that we know and love today. Not only did he have that special photo, but he had saved a unique message from Superintendent Lee summarizing that difficult first year. The words, “We hope you have the best of luck next year, and may the flame you have lighted burn forever.” Boy, has it continued to burn!
For the soft opening it only made sense to honor the very first team in such a way. Players came from all over the area back to Greenbrier to celebrate the soft opening, March 12th. With cheers, tears, and camaraderie they walked down memory lane. The team, along with Greenbrier’s first football coach, Garlin Stout was honored to be celebrated. “I never dreamed we would be celebrated and to see all of this memorabilia in the new Huddle House is just amazing. We had to fight hard to have football in Greenbrier. I had to help build the bleachers and the field. Its just amazing to see how far we have come” shared Stout.
While the love for football and food will continued to be celebrated every day at Huddle House, they will continue to celebrate their customers and offer great service.
Sarah’s first job was in food service, and has many fond memories of the great bonds she built with her customers. “You never know who you are waiting on. I ended up building a relationship with an older gentleman who became like a father figure to me and helped pay off my college tuition.” You can easily see why her customers loved her then, and how they will now. Her bubbly personality and servants heart is so big, you see it when you walk through the door. She shares, “I am excited to provide this employment opportunity for our staff. For most, this is their first job. I hope our customers give us a lot of grace because they are all learning, this is a great place to do that.”
The Everett family has deep roots in the community and if you were to examine them closely, they all bleed blue. They are excited about this endeavor and as a community, we are excited about their investment in Greenbrier.
Huddle House is located at 38 S. Broadview next to Matthews Park and is open Monday - Thursday 6 AM to 10 PM. Friday they open at 6 AM and stay open until 10 PM on Sunday. Call 501-50BACON to order ahead or place an order on their app.
Again, to read this story and more, check out our City Resource Guide, an annual publication produced by the Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce. You can find it around small businesses in Greenbrier and online, greenbrierchamber.org