The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, March 01, 2023, Image 9
£he Crates gainesvilletimes.com Midweek Edition-March 1-2, 2023 Rachel Estes Features Editor | 770-718-3421 | life@gainesvilletimes.com More than a pit stop V wm |r I F Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Customers line up at the counter Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Nichols Diner. The popular restaurant, which has its roots as the Dairy Mart in Oakwood, has been in business for 20 years. Oakwood diner marks 20 years of family business Nichols Diner owner Alan Nichols, left, chats with a customer Wednesday, Feb. 22. Ice cream is scooped into a cup for a milkshake Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Nichols Diner. BY DONNELL SUGGS dsuggs@gainesvilletimes.com Nichols Diner’s motto is simple, summed up by a sign hanging over the reg ister that reads, “Proudly making every order fresh.” In its 20th year in busi ness, the South Hall diner continues to serve break fast and lunch the only way owner Alan Nichols learned how during his nearly 40-year career in the restaurant business: one plate at a time. “This is a destination instead of just being a pit stop,” Nichols, 59, said. “We still do things the same way.” The special for the day was a grilled cheese sand wich with the choice of veg etable soup or chili and a drink. The rest of the menu offered customers the usual breakfast and lunch items that have made diner fare a staple of American life: sausage, chicken or bacon biscuits, grits, eggs, coun try-fried steaks, hamburg ers, hot dogs, tater tots and fries. “This is institutional food and it still matters how we serve it every day,” Nichols said. Nichols Diner was opened by Craig Nichols in 2003 and taken over by his brother, Alan Nichols, in 2020. The family has owned and operated restaurants for decades, and the tran sition would have been a normal one if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. “We opened on Jan. 10, 2020, and it wasn’t even a month in before our lobby was shut down and every- Nichols Diner Where: 3603 Southland Drive, Flowery Branch Hours: 6 a.m to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday; 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday More info: nicholsdiners. com thing changed,” said Alan. The restaurant moved to a drive-thru only format like many in Hall County and the nation at large. “Everything I worked for was hanging on by a thread,” Alan remembered. “We’re doing well now because I was blessed with the staff I have.” There are 12 full-time employees at Nichols Diner, and all managed to keep their jobs despite pandemic-induced changes to the workflow and the current rise in costs of food and supplies. “We have some real loyal people,” he said. “We have all come back and I think we’ve caught our groove again.” Back to the future On the wall of the diner hangs a framed black-and- white photo of the long- closed Dairy Mart circa 1963. Alan and Craig took over the business, a burger and fries joint similar to what Nichols Diner is today, in 1988. “That’s where everything started,” Alan said, a smile creeping across his face. How everything will con tinue may have a lot to do with the future of Nichols Diner’s ownership. Grant Nichols, 22, is the next generation of his fam ily’s restaurant legacy. Fresh out of college, Grant is managing Loretta’s Coun try Kitchen, Alan’s other restaurant. There’s hope that Grant takes over Nich ols Diner one day, accord ing to Alan. “I’m hoping to make it to 40 years; I’m at 39 right now,” said Alan of his time in the business. “If my son is going to take it over, we’ll know soon, but there will be some sweat equity where he becomes owner over time.” As he talked, customers and even an area vendor stopped by his table to say hello. The years of relation ships are what it’s all about, he said. “You develop friendships ■ Please see NICHOLS, 2B Mama knew my sweetness needed practice Of course, I occasionally encounter rudeness in folks. Usually, I’m in a bubble of some kind when I’m jolted right out of it by rudeness or, in some cases, as Mama would say, “downright meanness.” Usually, readers who com ment on my commentaries write to me and, even if they disagree, it is with grace and genteel respect. Yet, about every four years, I get one where I suspect there is something wrong in the person’s life more than something I’d written. The reaction is too strong and twisted, with such anger, that the person’s good sense just takes momentary leave. I’m not a controversial writer. There are too many strong opinions and too much ugliness in this world already. In the 22 years that I have written this column, which has been read by millions, I have sought to be kind, funny, strong enough to make the content interesting and, mostly, just to tell a good story. A few months ago, a memory came to me and made me laugh: Mama. From the time that I was old enough to leave the house and be driven by a girlfriend’s mother, or when I was old enough to leave on a date or drive myself, Mama would say, without fail, as I opened the door, “You be sweet, now. Hear me?” It was embarrassing, especially with the first guy I dated regularly, Philip. One night, he helped me into the car, then he slid in on his side and I asked, “Does your Mama always tell you to be sweet?” He laughed as he started the car. He always had an endearing sense of humor. “Nay, she knows I can’t be sweeter. If I did, flies would be stuck to me all the time.” I wrote a column on my dear Mama’s words and even joked, “You would think she might say, ‘Be safe.’ No. ‘Be sweet’ was more important.” That evening, an email that wasn’t sweet came to me as well as the editors of the Gainesville Times. I assured them that I would share it with my readers across the South: “Hello Ronda, “I do hope that you penned your column ‘Thou Shalt Be Sweet’ intending to be humorous. If that was not your intention, then I would like to tell you how offensive your column was. In this time of women being subjected to the fantasies of cer tain men who would like to see us barefoot and pregnant and living in the 1950s, to imply that the most important quality a woman can possess is to be sweet is beyond my ability to politely ignore. The sweetness that you hold so dear has routinely caused the ‘southern woman’ to be looked upon by the non-southern world as phony and insincere. “I am so happy that I was raised in a home in which girls/women were expected to be intel ligent, strong, honest and kind and in which the only thing that was sweet was sugar (and we were warned to have as little of that as possible). “Sweet as a leading attribute may have been desirable a very long time ago, but in today’s world the emphasis on it is misplaced. Give me a fair, honest, generous woman who doesn’t sugarcoat her opinions with syrup. Really, don’t you think that women, southern or otherwise, would much rather be recognized for their brains and accom plishments than for having sugar syrup running through their veins. “Debbie Hasten.” My mama never wasted time teaching what she already knew I possessed — I was the second- highest academic scorer in first grade. Through the years, I won numerous academic and extracur ricular awards, perfect attendance in class and Sunday School, and many professional awards, especially in sports writing where I was usually the only woman. My family has long practiced putting others before ourselves and sharing whatever we have. But sweet? Mama KNEW I needed work on that. Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of several books, including “What Southern Women Know About Faith.” Sign up for her newsletter at www.rondarich.com. Her column publishes weekly. RONDA RICH southswomen@ bellsouth.net EVENTS University of North Georgia Jazz Band. 7:30-8:30 p.m. March 1. Hoag Student Center, 82 College Circle, Dahlonega. 706-864- 1423, cherri.helms@ung.edu. Symphony No. 100 “Military Sym phony”. 7-9 p.m. March 2. UNG Shott Performance Hall, 82 Col lege Circle, Dahlonega. 706-864- 1423, cherri.helms.ung@gmail. com. Free. Sinfonietta. 7:30-9 p.m. March 2. Nix Fine Arts Center, 238 Georgia Circle, Dahlonega. 706-864- 1423, cherri.helms@ung.edu. Lake Lanier Boat Show. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 3-4; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 5. Margaritaville at Lanier Islands, 7000 Lanier Is lands Parkway, Buford. 678-960- 2908, info@lakelanierboatshow. com. $15. Dahlonega Literary Fest. March 4. Dahlonega Baptist Church, 234 Hawkins St., Dahlonega. 706- 265-9212, set1@windstream.net. $20. Live Animal Showcase. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 4. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976, sam@elachee.org. Classic Auto Rides Monthly Cruise- In. 4-7 p.m. March 4. Buford High School, 2455 Buford Highway NE, Buford, classicautoridesga@ gmail.com. Jazz Concert. 7-8:30 p.m. March 6. Performing Arts Lobby, UNG Gainesville Campus, Gainesville. 706-864-1423, cherri.helms. ung@gmail.com. Free. Purim in the Chocolate Factory. 5:30-7:30 p.m. March 7. Gaines ville Civic Center, 830 Green St. NE, Gainesville, lnfo@jewishhall. com. $10-$18. Gentle Yoga. 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 8, 15, 22, 29. Black- shear Place Branch Library, 2927 Atlanta Highway, Gainesville, dl9345@bellsouth.net. Free. “John & Jen.” 7:30-10 p.m. March 9-11. UNG-Gainesville Ed Cabell Theatre, 2900 Landrum Educa tion Drive, Oakwood. 678-717- 3624, boxoffice@gainesvillethe- atrealliance.org. $16-$24. “Cinderella.” 7 p.m. March 9-11, 16-18. Mill Creek High School, 4400 Braselton Highway, Ho- schton, mcea6855treasurer@ gmail.com. $15. Family Fitness with Prime Personal Training. 9-10 a.m. March 11. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976, sam@elachee. org. $15-$50. ONGOING Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group. 5:30-6:30 p.m. first Tues days of the month. Grace Episco pal Church, 422 Brenau Ave. NE, Gainesville. 727-409-6608, char- lenebestdewitt@gmail.com. Free. Gold Rush Quilting Guild. 10 a.m. to noon first Wednesdays of the month. Friendship Baptist Church, 3513 Westmoreland Road, Cleve land. alenekempton@gmail.com. Turning Leaves Book Club. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. first Wednesdays of the month. Linwood Nature Pre serve Ecology Center, 118 Spring- view Drive, Gainesville. 770-535- 8293, karin.hicks@uga.edu. Northeast Georgia Writers. 1 -3 p.m. first Wednesdays of the month. Gainesville Downtown Library, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. Talltales- writer@gmail.com. Free. Card workshop. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. first Saturdays of the month. Hall County Library System, Gainesville branch, 127 Main St. NW, Gaines ville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011, gkoecher@hallcountylibrary.org. Ekphrasis for the Masses. Noon to 1 p.m. second Tuesdays of the month. Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville. 770- 536-2575, info@qvac.org. Free. War Stories Book Club. 4-5 p.m. second Thursdays of the month. Murrayville Branch Library, 4796 Thompson Bridge Road, Gaines ville. 770-532-3311 ext. 171. Free. Discovery Saturdays. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. second Saturdays of the month. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976. $3 - $5. Georgia Cross Stitchers. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. second Saturdays of the month. Hall County Library Sys tem, Gainesville Branch, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011; gkoecher@hallcountyli- brary.org. Free. Homeschool Day. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. third Thursdays of the month. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976. $15. Gainesville Lacers. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. third Saturdays of the month. Hall County Library System, Gainesville branch, 127 Main St. NW, Gaines ville. 770-532-3311, gkoecher@ hallcountylibrary.org. Tea with Jane Austen: A Reading Group. 3-4 p.m. fourth Fridays of the month. Hall County Library Sys tem, Gainesville Branch, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011, gkoecher@hallcountyli- brary.org. Free.