Doe's Eat Place
Encyclopedia
Doe's Eat Place is a chain of restaurant
s in the United States
that specializes in steak
s, shrimp
, and tamale
s.
Doe's Eat Place was established in Greenville, Mississippi
in 1941 by Dominick "Big Doe" Signa and his wife, Mamie. Doe's father moved to Greenville in 1903 and opened a grocery store in the building that now serves as the restaurant. The family lived in a house behind the store. The grocery, which the Signa family called "Papa's Store," performed relatively well financially until the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
. After the flood, Big Doe Signa started a bootlegging
business to help provide for his family. After several years he finally sold his 40 barrel still for $300 and a Ford Model T
.
Around 1941, someone gave Mamie a partial recipe for hot tamales. She improved on the recipe and began selling them. This was the beginning of Doe's Eat Place.
At first, Signa ran a honky-tonk, strictly for blacks, in the front part of the store. Buffalo fish and chili were regular menu items at that time. Because of the racial segregation at the time it was socially unacceptable for whites to come into Doe's. Therefore, when a local white doctor began to stop at Doe's for a meal between house calls, Doe would serve him steaks in the rear of the store. As word-of-mouth spread about the steaks, Doe decided to start a restaurant in the rear of the building. For a short time, the honky tonk and restaurant co-existed. As the restaurant continued to grow in popularity, the honky-tonk was eventually closed. "Big Doe" retired in 1974 and passed along the business to his two sons Doe Jr. and Charles. Doe, Sr. died on April 27, 1987, and Mamie died on November 5, 1955.
The original Doe's Eat Place is still run from the building in which it started. It is a relatively small and shabby building in the middle of a downscale neighborhood. The dining area contrasts with the outside of the building by being clean and nicely maintained. Doe's has been described as having a "dive-y atmosphere" and "ramshackle surroundings." Customers enter the restaurant through the kitchen, and are traditionally greeted by a member of the Signa family (usually male). Though time has taken its toll on the building and fixtures, it only adds to the atmosphere of dining at an old family restaurant where the true authenticity of the 1940s grocery and restaurant still remains. To contrast with the atmosphere that has been described as "at least a few degrees this side of 'casual,'" the prices at Doe's are more upscale. Steaks can cost in the neighborhood of thirty dollars.
Although Doe's serves tamales, gumbo
, catfish
, and shrimp
, they are most famous for their steaks. The steaks are cooked in a natural gas
oven. The burners in this oven are mounted on the top and shoot flames down. This allows the drippings from the steak to fall into a pan underneath the grill so that they can be poured back over the steak.
In addition to the Greenville location, the restaurant located in Paducah, Kentucky
is family-owned. Doe's Eat Place has franchised
out from its original location in Greenville into 11 additional locations across six states. In the 1992 presidential campaign Clinton
staffers frequented the Little Rock
franchise of Doe's Eat Place. Franchised locations are found in Little Rock, Bentonville
, Fort Smith
, Fayetteville
, and Hot Springs
, Arkansas; Manhattan, Kansas
; Baton Rouge
and Broussard
, Louisiana; Springfield, Missouri
; Tulsa, Oklahoma
; and Bryan, Texas
.
The original Greenville location was named to the James Beard Foundation
's list of "America's Classics" in 2007.
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that specializes in steak
Steak
A steak is a cut of meat . Most are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat. In North America, steaks are typically served grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole...
s, shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
, and tamale
Tamale
A tamale — or more correctly tamal — is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa , which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating...
s.
Doe's Eat Place was established in Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Washington...
in 1941 by Dominick "Big Doe" Signa and his wife, Mamie. Doe's father moved to Greenville in 1903 and opened a grocery store in the building that now serves as the restaurant. The family lived in a house behind the store. The grocery, which the Signa family called "Papa's Store," performed relatively well financially until the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States.-Events:The flood began when heavy rains pounded the central basin of the Mississippi in the summer of 1926. By September, the Mississippi's tributaries in Kansas and Iowa were swollen to...
. After the flood, Big Doe Signa started a bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
business to help provide for his family. After several years he finally sold his 40 barrel still for $300 and a Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
.
Around 1941, someone gave Mamie a partial recipe for hot tamales. She improved on the recipe and began selling them. This was the beginning of Doe's Eat Place.
At first, Signa ran a honky-tonk, strictly for blacks, in the front part of the store. Buffalo fish and chili were regular menu items at that time. Because of the racial segregation at the time it was socially unacceptable for whites to come into Doe's. Therefore, when a local white doctor began to stop at Doe's for a meal between house calls, Doe would serve him steaks in the rear of the store. As word-of-mouth spread about the steaks, Doe decided to start a restaurant in the rear of the building. For a short time, the honky tonk and restaurant co-existed. As the restaurant continued to grow in popularity, the honky-tonk was eventually closed. "Big Doe" retired in 1974 and passed along the business to his two sons Doe Jr. and Charles. Doe, Sr. died on April 27, 1987, and Mamie died on November 5, 1955.
The original Doe's Eat Place is still run from the building in which it started. It is a relatively small and shabby building in the middle of a downscale neighborhood. The dining area contrasts with the outside of the building by being clean and nicely maintained. Doe's has been described as having a "dive-y atmosphere" and "ramshackle surroundings." Customers enter the restaurant through the kitchen, and are traditionally greeted by a member of the Signa family (usually male). Though time has taken its toll on the building and fixtures, it only adds to the atmosphere of dining at an old family restaurant where the true authenticity of the 1940s grocery and restaurant still remains. To contrast with the atmosphere that has been described as "at least a few degrees this side of 'casual,'" the prices at Doe's are more upscale. Steaks can cost in the neighborhood of thirty dollars.
Although Doe's serves tamales, gumbo
Gumbo
Gumbo is a stew or soup that originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century. It consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable holy trinity of celery, bell peppers, and onions...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, and shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
, they are most famous for their steaks. The steaks are cooked in a natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
oven. The burners in this oven are mounted on the top and shoot flames down. This allows the drippings from the steak to fall into a pan underneath the grill so that they can be poured back over the steak.
In addition to the Greenville location, the restaurant located in Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
is family-owned. Doe's Eat Place has franchised
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
out from its original location in Greenville into 11 additional locations across six states. In the 1992 presidential campaign Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
staffers frequented the Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
franchise of Doe's Eat Place. Franchised locations are found in Little Rock, Bentonville
Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas is a city in Northwest Bahamas, and county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States The population was 35,301 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
, Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
, and Hot Springs
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, Arkansas; Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
; Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
and Broussard
Broussard, Louisiana
Broussard is a small city in Lafayette and St. Martin parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 6,754 from the 2005 Census Est.Broussard is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Louisiana; Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
; Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
; and Bryan, Texas
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
.
The original Greenville location was named to the James Beard Foundation
James Beard Foundation Award
The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990 and are often called "The Oscars of Food." Held on the first weekend in May, the Awards honor the finest chefs, restaurants, wine professionals, journalists, cookbook authors, restaurant designers, and other food professionals in the...
's list of "America's Classics" in 2007.