Shoney’s

FOOD

The Fresh Food Bar brings Shoney’s country-cooking side into the foreground. Fried chicken and meatloaf are defining lunch-and-dinner dishes, with turkey and gravy or barbecue pork joining the rotation at some restaurants. Breakfast has its own devoted identity. Seriously… The Shoney’s Breakfast Bar is a national institution in the world of breakfast buffets. These are meal-period selections, with the day’s hot dishes determining whether your Shoney’s outing tastes like a Southern breakfast, Sunday dinner or seafood supper.

The morning classics are straightforward and substantial: scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, with biscuits and gravy deserving a place beside them. Eggs come from the buffet pan; a cooked-to-order egg breakfast or three-egg omelet belongs to the separate plated menu. The bar’s scrambled eggs, breakfast meats and sides make up the unlimited morning meal. And those that have experienced know that part of the fun of the Shoney’s Breakfast Bar is invention. Biscuits topped with scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms and onion. Pancakes rolled up around sausage. Breakfast potato mountains with sausage gravy, cheese sauce and maybe something from the salad bar. Why not?

French toast and pancakes give breakfast its sweet side, while home fries and cheese grits carry the savory part of the meal beyond eggs and meat. Egg casseroles with ham or bacon are also part of Shoney’s breakfast repertoire. The national breakfast-for-dinner theme also adds apple cinnamon roll bake, carrying the breakfast bar’s sweet baking into an evening meal.

Later meals trade those breakfast pans for homestyle entrées. Crispy fried chicken supplies the crust-and-meat combination that belongs beside mashed potatoes; sliced meatloaf makes a more familiar gravy-and-sides dinner. Turkey with gravy and dressing brings the Sunday-table association, while barbecue pork takes the spread toward a different Southern tradition. These dishes are the strongest guide to the regular food bar’s character, even when a themed evening adds other choices.

The accompanying food deserves attention beyond the meat. Macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, corn and green beans are familiar companions, with cabbage, collard greens or sweet potatoes appearing in regional and themed spreads. Cabbage beef soup is a particularly characteristic Shoney’s option. Cold preparations such as potato salad, coleslaw and tomato-cucumber salad give the food bar a picnic-table side, alongside salad ingredients and fresh fruit.

Seafood takes several forms at participating restaurants. The national Surf to Table theme includes fried oysters and clam strips as well as shrimp and grits, seafood bake and clam chowder. The interest lies in having fried seafood beside spoonable, sauced and baked preparations. East Tennessee’s operator instead promotes Friday Steak & Such, combining seafood with steaks, ribs and wings. Confirm the local program before planning a seafood-night visit.

Other themed meals widen the spread in specific ways. Backyard BBQ brings ribs and grilled barbecue chicken; Flavor Fiesta adds fajita meats, beans and tortillas. Breakfast-for-dinner returns the morning dishes to the evening food bar. The national program puts that meal on Wednesday, while East Tennessee advertises an all-day breakfast bar on Tuesday. Shoney’s therefore rewards attention to the local calendar as much as to the familiar name.

For a sweet finish, the buffet’s dessert repertoire includes banana pudding and chocolate pudding. Shoney’s Hot Fudge Cake—chocolate cake surrounding vanilla ice cream under hot fudge—and seasonal strawberry pie are separate menu desserts, not automatic buffet inclusions. Similarly, adding the soup, salad and fruit bar to a purchased entrée is a different offering from the full Fresh Food Bar. Check the local buffet price and beverage inclusions when ordering.