Meet Chad Garrett: Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chad Garrett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chad, what role has risk played in your life or career?
As a young adult, I knew I wanted to own my own restaurant, but I was not sure if I would ever be able to fulfill that dream. When I was twenty-nine years old, I began to ask myself if I would be able to build a business that would allow me to share my talents of cooking with others while being a husband and father. As I began the journey of opening, Dinner’s Ready by Chad, I often thought about this quote by Anne Glenn, “Life is all about taking risks. If you never take a risk, you will never achieve your dreams.” I knew that opening my own restaurant would be hard work and come with challenges. I was determined to build a business that would allow me to serve others in my community and as well as people near and far. As I began my 10th year of having Dinner’s Ready by Chad, Covid-19 hit, and panic and fear began flooding my mind. I asked myself, “How can I stay open during this difficult time? How can I pay my employees if I close my business? Will my restaurant ever be able to open again?” After much thought, I took a risk and decided to remain open to serve my customers and to provide a job for my loyal employees. Within twenty-four hours, I had to quickly make some important decisions. I had to close my dining room, but thankfully I was still able to serve my customers by staying open six days a week by offering drive through service. As more and more people were staying at home, working from home, and not able to travel, I took another risk and expanded our “take home meals” menu. I was able to provide take home meals to families that they could cook in the comfort of their own home. I can happily say that our dining room is back opened and that our drive-through service and “take home meals” will continue for many years to come. As I continue to serve my customers, I know I will be faced with different challenges. I will proudly take more risks to ensure my customers get the very best service and food that I have to offer. 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started working at a local restaurant when I was 15 years old, and it was not long before I realized that I had a genuine interest in the work and the abilities to back it up. The owners took me under their wing and taught me everything there was to know about the business, and when I finished college, I became the manager. Unfortunately, the strain of owning and running a large business became too much on the owners and my mentors, and the restaurant was sold. I stayed on as long as I could, but the environment that I had become accustomed to quickly changed, and in turn, I had to make a change as well. Unfortunately, the economy had bottomed out and jobs were not easy to come by, but my wife supported my decision and we trusted that the Lord would provide for us. I was not far into my job search when a former customer contacted me at home and asked if I could prepare Thanksgiving dinner for her family. Initially, I told her no, because I had left the restaurant business in search of something different, but with the bills piling up, I made the last-minute decision to make this meal for them. Word got around, and I found myself busy filling orders for other families, as well. The workload had gotten so large that I had to call in family and friends to help, and that is how Dinner’s Ready began. Dinner’s Ready is a hometown favorite restaurant that bakes and serves the best biscuits daily. In addition, Dinner’s Ready is “famous” and known by many for our fried green tomatoes, homemade chicken salad and pimento cheese, grilled chicken salad, taco salad, cubed steak sandwiches, chicken strips, buffalo strips, poppy seed casserole, chicken & dumplings, turnip greens, creamed potatoes, black eyed peas, collards, mac & cheese, sweet potato soufflé, chicken and dressing, sugared jalapenos, stewed tomatoes, pork skins, 6 layer chocolate cake, caramel cake, red velvet cake, key lime cake, coconut cake, pecan pie, banana pudding, cheese cake, lemonade, sweet tea and SO MUCH MORE!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
What a fun day we would have in Warm Springs, Georgia. Of course, we would meet at Dinner’s Ready for a delicious lunch before going uptown to shop. After vising the shops in town, we would go to the Little White House to learn the history of FDR. We would make our way up the mountain to walk the Pine Mountain Trail. We would eat our dessert, a slice of six-layer chocolate cake, that we brought with us from Dinner’s Ready as we sat at the waterfall at Wolfs Den. We would end the day be visiting the local wineries.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wonderful employees deserve so much recognition. My employees work hard to serve our customers and without them, I would not be able to provide the dining, take-home, and catering services that we offer each and every day. Without my amazing customers, I would not be able to have Dinner’s Ready by Chad. For the past ten years, I have appreciated your business and loyal support. I look forward to serving our customers for many years to come. THANK YOU for allowing me to cook my favorite meals for you. I also would not be where I am today without my family, friends, and the grace of God.

Website: www.dinnersreadybychad.com
Instagram: @dinnersreadybychad
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dinnersreadybychad
Other: www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g35347-d3181687-Reviews-Dinner_s_Ready_by_Chad-Warm_Springs_Georgia.html?m=19905