We are honored and grateful to Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Deep South Dining for sitting down with us and letting us tell our story. Hosts Malcolm White and Carol Palmer have long been champions of Mississippi’s food culture, and to be counted among the iconic places they celebrate means the world to our family. We’re proud to share that conversation with you here.
A Greenville, Mississippi Institution: From Grocery Store to Southern Dining Legend
Doe’s Eat Place has been right here in Greenville, Mississippi since 1941, but the story really starts a little earlier than that.
The family grocery store was established in 1903 by our great-grandfather. Then in the early 1940s, our father Dominic — Big Doe — was working as a civilian in the cafeteria at the air base here in Greenville, where they trained fighter pilots during World War II. Somebody handed him a tamale recipe. He brought it home, Mama doctored it up, and they started making Mississippi Delta hot tamales by hand — corn husks, hand-rolled, hand-tied — with help from sisters on both sides of the family. They were selling them right out of the grocery store before the restaurant even opened.
Then one of Daddy’s doctor friends said, “Y’all are selling tamales — why don’t you start selling steaks?”
So Daddy started cooking steaks on a residential oven. It probably held two of them. From there, they added hand-cut French fries, Mama’s salad with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil — what folks around here call a wet salad — and then spaghetti and meatballs, since we’re Italians. Then fried shrimp. And homemade chili to go alongside the tamales.
Six items. That’s about what we had then. That’s about what we have now.
Aunt Florence, the Salad, and the Soul of the Kitchen
When people would come to film us or visit the kitchen — and a lot of big names have come through that door — the first question was always: “Is Aunt Florence going to be there?”
Mama passed away in 1955 at just 41 years old. Our aunts stepped in and helped Daddy raise us, and Daddy’s sister-in-law Florence took over the salad. She became the soul of this kitchen. Brides in the Mississippi Delta used to bring their wooden salad bowls to Doe’s so Aunt Florence could season them — you’d see her at night rubbing each bowl down with garlic before she started anything else.
In 2007, when Doe’s Eat Place received its James Beard Award in New York, Florence walked that red carpet in a long sparkly gown like she’d been doing it in Hollywood her whole life. She was something to behold.
Florence passed away on Christmas Day a few years ago. You can’t replicate what she did. But she trained people who care, and we carry her tradition forward the best we can.
What It’s Like to Eat at Doe’s: The Kitchen You Walk Through
When you come through our front door in Greenville, you’re already in the kitchen. The broiler is right there. You make your way through into the next room where the French fries are going on the stovetop, the salads are being made, the tamales are being plated — all of it happening a few feet from where you’re sitting. It’s like watching your mama make dinner and setting it right on the table in front of you.
We’ve had to upgrade some equipment over the years. The old tamale machine now lives at a museum here in Greenville — it had some hazardous conditions, let’s say — and we replaced the broiler about six or eight years ago after it had been in place for probably 50 years. The cast iron skillets, though? Those are still going strong. One of them is on the wall now — a cleaning crew hit it with too much pressure and knocked a hole right through it. We figured it’d earned a place of honor.
Some Familiar Faces at Doe’s Eat Place
Over the years we’ve had a few folks come through. Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmerman, Bobby Flay — he did a little segment on us early in his career, and there’s a VHS tape of it somewhere. One night Charles was standing at the broiler, busy cooking, heard the screen door slam and just waved somebody on through to the back without looking up. A customer came up ten minutes later and said, “Is that Jerry Jones in there?” Sure enough, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys was sitting in the kitchen visiting with everybody and signing autographs.
Bill Clinton has been coming to our Doe’s in Little Rock since we opened that location in 1988. Archie, Eli, Peyton — all the Mannings have been through. Willie Morris loved this place. Julia Reed. Hank Burdine. A lot of good people and a lot of good memories in these walls.
A Family Restaurant, Past and Future
Charles here is 79 this June. Doe is 47. We’ve got the next generation around us — sons, a grandson named Ty just finishing his freshman year at East Mississippi, young people figuring out their paths. Some are looking at engineering right now, which makes us smile a little, because one of us had a row crop degree and worked in agriculture research before a quail hunting trip changed everything.
You just never know.
What we do know is that Doe’s Eat Place is going to be here. It’s been in this family since 1903 in one form or another, and we intend to keep it that way.
Visit Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville, Mississippi
We’re open Monday through Saturday. The building opens around 9:00 a.m. — come by anytime during the day to pick up Delta hot tamales to go. Dinner service starts at 5:00 p.m.
Reservations are welcome. Give us a call.
Doe’s Eat Place — Greenville, Mississippi
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Doe’s Eat Place known for? Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville, Mississippi is known for its hand-rolled Mississippi Delta hot tamales, massive hand-cut steaks served family style, and a signature wet salad made with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil — a recipe going back to the original family.
When did Doe’s Eat Place open? The restaurant opened in 1941, though the Signa family grocery store on the same property dates back to 1903. It’s been a family-owned and operated restaurant for over 80 years.
Has Doe’s Eat Place won any awards? Yes. Doe’s Eat Place is a James Beard Award winner, receiving the honor in 2007. It is one of Mississippi’s most recognized and celebrated restaurants.
Does Doe’s Eat Place take reservations? Yes, reservations are welcome. The building opens around 9:00 a.m. for tamale pickup, and dinner service begins at 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Is there a Doe’s Eat Place outside of Greenville? Yes. Please visit https://doeseatplace.com/locations/
What kind of steaks does Doe’s Eat Place serve? Doe’s serves several cuts including a bone-in ribeye, porterhouse, and sirloin. The larger cuts — some running three to five pounds — are often served family style, sliced and brought to the table alongside fries and garlic bread.
Is Doe’s Eat Place franchising? Yes, we are. If you’re interested in bringing Doe’s Eat Place to your community, please visit doeseatplace.com/does-franchise/ to learn more.