Shoney’s was one of the best restaurants in my small Tennessee town growing up, and at one time, it was the place to go in Columbia to be seen on a Friday or Saturday night. As I sat in the Columbia location for Thanksgiving lunch and for Free Hot Fudge Cake Day a week later, I was flooded both times with nostalgic, feel-good memories of the iconic brand. My father helped open a Shoney’s restaurants in Cookeville, about 70 miles east of Nashville, when I was a little boy. He was part of the breakfast crews who introduced the popular breakfast bar during its heyday. Late in his life — until he died in 2012 at age 80 — dad would drive to town every morning from his farm outside Sparta and have a breakfast bar at Shoney’s. He drank a cup of coffee and ate lightly from the breakfast bar, and they only charged him $1. The managers, cooks and waitresses always treated him with great respect and admiration for having been and around Shoney’s for 50 years. Looking back, I’ll never forget how they made my father feel or how excited I was to go to Shoney’s into my college years. Shoney’s briefly opened a franchise in Phoenix when I was working in Arizona in the 1990s, and I would take friends and colleagues to lunch and wax poetically about how highly regarded Shoney’s was down South. Through the years, Shoney’s lost part of its sizzle as the place to go. Maybe that’s partly because of Cracker Barrel’s emergence as the go-to place for breakfast and country cooking. Maybe it’s because Waffle House’s no-frills locations could whip up bacon, eggs and waffles as fast as their smarmy waitresses could call out the order. There always were distinct difference to me between Cracker Barrel, Waffle House and Shoney’s. Cracker Barrel was the place to go if you were traveling. Waffle House was the best bet for late at night or on snow days. Shoney’s was a community meeting place where you would your friends and neighbors. I noticed some Shoney’s locations started to close in the 1990s and 2000s as the brand lost luster. It seemed Denny’s — home of the Grand Slam breakfast — suffered the same fate around the same time. Luckily for Shoney’s, David Davoudpour bought the company in 2006 and has been on a mission to restore it as the country’s premier family dining destination. His passion has allowed the company to remain at 150 locations in 17 states. “In the long run, I would like to have 1,000 Shoney’s restaurants,” Davoudpour told The Daily Herald on Friday. I spoke with Davoudpour after he visited several locations on Free Hot Fudge Cake Day. He originated the concept for the first week in December as a thank you to customers and as a way to say Merry Christmas. Click Here to Read the full story at The Daily Herold.

Shoney’s Initiative Benefitting the Boy Scouts of America® Learning for Life Navigators Program Has Provided 176 Scholarships Since 2006   Nashville, TN   Shoney’s makes a difference in the communities it serves every day. Through its sponsorship of a unique scholarship program benefiting the Boy Scouts of America’s Navigators program, the Shoney’s initiative has awarded $536,000 changing lives through 176 scholarships, including ten to Metro Nashville Public School students recently equaling $46,000, for promising high school students in at-risk communities.   The scholarships, administered by the Boy Scouts and sponsored by Shoney’s, is a part of a program for MNPS high school young men and women whose goal is to provide in-school college prep programs culminating with an opportunity to receive a college scholarship.   The Navigators program is managed through the AVID class. AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap by preparing all students for college and other postsecondary opportunities.   Through the generosity of Shoney’s and its service and vendor partners since 2006, scholarships have been provided to those who have shown an ability to achieve success while overcoming significant personal obstacles and challenges. The Boy Scouts of America’s Navigators Program honors deserving young achievers by giving them the opportunity to learn more about their future career options and aiding them in developing their personal occupational paths.   Deadrick Thaxton and Juan Gipson, who represented Shoney’s, was joined by Boy Scout representatives: Larry Brown, Scout Executive; Vance Lackey, Director of Field Service; and Marah Vogt, Exploring Executive.   “We are honored to be a partner of AVID. In 2004, Shoney’s and the Boy Scouts formed the Navigators Scholarship program,” said Thaxton. “Our goal was to provide guidance and financial support for AVID students to prepare for their future in college. The first scholarships were given out in 2008, and after today we will have provided 179 students with $536,500 in scholarship funds.”   The following recipients received a one year $1,000 scholarship:

• Lauren Reese
• Merna Sadek
• Karoleen Said
• Marina Abdelnour

Others were awarded a $4,000 scholarship which will be paid over four years:

• Nitya Bhatt
• Jordan Scales
• Nardeen Fayik

Several recipients received the top scholarship of $10,000 payable over four years:

• Maria Farg
• Dina Mikaiel
• Nanch Abdo

“Shoney’s scholarship recipients live by a philosophy of determination,” said Shoney’s Chairman and CEO David Davidpour. “They inspire others to excel and give us hope and confidence in our future. Shoney’s is very excited to continue our partnership with Boy Scouts of America to make dreams a reality for some very deserving future leaders.”

The Shoney’s 7th annual 5k Family Walk & Run raised $17k for the Nashville Police Department. “Shoney’s is absolutely committed to Nashville and the men and women who keep our city safe,” said Shoney’s CEO David Davoudpour. “We are thrilled to continue sponsoring this premier event that unites families and runners from across the region as we raise money for the Nashville Police Support Fund.” Read more.