MABEN — From the outside, Larry”s of Maben looks like a grocery store. But a step inside reveals large dining rooms, buffets topped with food and televisions on the walls.
Larry”s of Maben opened July 22 at 101 Turner St., a block from downtown Maben, after relocating from Highway 15. It was the second time Larry”s has relocated in recent years.
The moves were necessary to keep up with a growing customer base, said Larry”s co-owner Larry Gladney, 59, who still hustles about the kitchen just as he has for decades.
When asked if there is a secret to running a successful restaurant in a town of less than 1,000 people, Gladney”s answer is simple: “I”m not going to cook you anything that I wouldn”t eat.”
Can you tell me a little bit about your business?
I started out with a little small place and I outgrew it. That was behind B.J.”s, there by Springer”s. We rented another place down on (Highway) 15, across from the liquor store, and we didn”t have but 30 seats. A lot of customers started getting upset with me because somebody else was taking their spots, the regulars. We just kept on growing. So I talked to a friend of mine and he said he would help me out financially with adding on. I added a 50-by-30 foot (addition) and six months went by and we outgrew that. We outgrew it and we had no parking. People were parking up the side of the road. We tried to buy the lot next door, but they wanted a little bit too much, so we started looking for a building. One of my friends down at Piggly Wiggly, they had some buildings. We decided to get the building from them and remodel it and turn it into a restaurant.
How big is this place?
It”s 14,000 square feet, but I only have 11,000. There”s going to be a doctor”s office next door. They”re fixing to start construction on it. They”re going to build a building within a building over there. I think it”s going to be Dr. Simmons, Dr. Sue Simmons, over there.
How did you get into the restaurant business?
Well, I”ve been cooking all of my life, but back in 2003, that”s kind of when it started. I was in California for about 20 years and that”s what I did out there. Then my brother and my mother got sick, so I had to come back here to take care of them and this is where I wound up, cooking at a small restaurant.
Are you originally from Maben?
Yeah. I was born and raised here.
What kind of stuff do you serve here and what are your specialties?
Well, we serve buffet. Thursday and Friday night is all you can eat seafood buffet. Right now, the only thing on the seafood buffet is catfish, shrimp, boiled and fried, hush puppies, cole slaw. It”s all you can eat. Saturday night we serve barbecue. Barbecue ribs, barbecue pulled pork, barbecue chicken and smoked sausage with potato salad, baked beans, you know, the works. Sunday we have open brunch. It”s $9.99 all you can eat. Starting next month we”re going to have senior citizen days, which are going to be on Wednesdays. If you”re 61 years or older, you can eat for $4 and a drink, and we”ll see you later. That”s every Wednesday. There are a lot of churches in the area and with the seniors, you sort of have to give something back to the community. I always do. When something happens or somebody dies, I”ll always fix food. But I feel this way: The best advertisement you can get is word of mouth. That”s what has carried me along the way.
Yeah, I was going to ask if there is a secret to your success. Obviously, since you keep growing, you”re doing something right. Is there a secret?
I”m not going to cook you anything that I wouldn”t eat. I cook every meal as if I”m cooking it for myself and that”s the deal right there. And I try to be a good person. I treat my customers nice. I walk out here sometimes and there will be three or four tables and I know the people and I”ll give everybody a dessert. People like that, when you give them that little bit of extra attention. And, you know, it”s good for business. It really is.
Obviously you enjoy your job.
I do. I”ve done nothing but cook all my life. I love it.
What would you say is your favorite stuff to cook?
I love to cook soul food. A little bit of everything. My favorite dish has got to be catfish. I throw out a main catfish plate, the best fish in the South, as far as I”ve seen it. I mean, I have people that come all the way from Pontotoc just to eat my catfish. I get the catfish from Superior Catfish down in Macon.
You cook for church groups and stuff too, right?
Yeah. We do a lot of catering. I cook for Adaton Baptist Church on Wednesday nights. And now that school is fixing to start back, I”ll be cooking for Calvary Church.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Let me tell you something: I like to make people happy. If you eat my food and you”re happy, that”s it. I like to make people happy. When somebody tells me, ”Man, that”s the best burger I”ve ever had in my life,” it does something to me. It makes me feel real good.
What would you say is the most difficult part about your job?
The most difficult part is trying to find good help, really. And there are times that the hours are so long for me. But I have never fired anybody. I”ve had a lot of people come and go, but they left on their own. I try to treat people the way that I”d want to be treated. You can ask any of my employees. I”ve never fired anybody. I”ve had a lot of people leave for many reasons, but that”s the business.
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