Doe's Eat Place

(Bentonville, AR) Being a connoisseur of fine red meat, my antenna rises when I am traveling and I hear someone recommend a great place to eat a steak.

When a second person and then a third person recommend the same establishment, I sort of make it my business to make my way there.

Doe’s Eat Place is known for their world famous steaks and tamales. I didn’t eat the tamales but two of my co-workers and I ate the biggest steak and best I think I have ever eaten.

And I’ve eaten a few.

I discovered a few interesting details about the history of this famous eating place while there.

Without going into all the details, in the early forties, the business started as an African American “Honky Tonk” in Greenville MS serving only African Americans. They had a small kitchen in the back where they prepared food for the honky tonkers. Big Doe and Mamie who worked in the kitchen developed quite a reputation for serving great tamales. A local Caucasian doctor began stopping by (at the back door) between calls to eat a delicious tamale. One day he asked “Big Doe” to cook him a steak. Big Doe cooked the good doctor a huge steak to go with the normal tamale.

The doctor was more than impressed.

The doctor began bringing his friends to join him for the great food. Being Caucasian, they were required to eat out of sight in the back of the building.

Talk about discrimination.

The business grew. Big Doe now had an African American Honky Tonk in the front and a Caucasian “Eat Place” in the back. He eventually closed down the Honky Tonk and expanded the Eat Place.

And the rest is history.

Big Doe passed away in 1987 but his Eat Place is now a chain of about 14 restaurants in such places as Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri and Louisiana.

For the record, they don’t charge by the steak. They charge by the pound.

It just doesn’t get any better than Does’s Eat Place.

In the video below you will see that Frances took great care of us.