His Word through Food: Papa Daddy's
Mercer, Tennessee has a gem of a new family restaurant. It’s in a recently renovated building that sat unused for the past fourteen years. Owner Angie Upton saved the building and opened a tribute to her father, Papa Daddy’s. The journey of Papa Daddy’s met resistance, “I just kept closing the door and the Lord kept pushing me to do it.” After more pushes in the right direction, “I thought ‘Ok. You open the doors and I’ll go through them.’”
It was a long road opening Papa Daddy’s. After being neglected for so long, the building needed some major tender loving care to become the restaurant it is today, so the Uptons got to work. “My husband, we’ve been married 28 years, and he’s never done anything in the house,” Angie shared, “‘I’m not a carpenter—Call somebody!’” He’d tell her. “Well, he did all of that over there… I was just amazed!” New barn doors, fresh paint, wainscoting, and new lower windows make everything feel like home. Some originals from the building stayed: the ceiling, stained glass lights, and the wavy glass in the upper windows. “The porch wasn’t there. It was originally there years ago—I had pictures—so of course, I had to put the porch back on. Then, my Uncle Bill made my benches for me outside.”
Naming the restaurant took center stage. “I had to start coming up with a name… cause it’s like naming a child, it just follows you. I named it Papa Daddy’s because that’s what my kids, his grandkids called him." Her nieces didn’t understand why some people called their grandfather Papa and others called him Daddy. They combined the two in logic that makes sense to children. Now that her kids are grown, Papa Daddy’s is the legacy she’s leaving for her grandchildren. “This is something I can give back [to the community].”
As the restaurant started coming together, several works of art found their way to Angie. The first was “the clock my husband made for me for mother’s day. It’s on an old wagon wheel. It was my daddy’s wagon wheel. That was the first thing we hung up." There are pieces of Mercer history on the walls that Angie framed. They feature servicemen, Mercer’s midwife who’s “delivered more babies than anyone in the world,” the old banks, stores, schools—it goes all the way back to 1902. “Everybody has brought stuff to me to hang up." Angie also hosts two local artisans, Christina Lee and Lisa Daniel. Lisa works leather and sells earrings, necklaces, and other leather goods. Christina makes home decor and other elegant furnishings for the home.
Speaking of artwork, when you enter the restaurant, you’ll see a mural on one wall. It features Papa Daddy himself and several other men that had a part in the Upton’s life. Mike ‘Cheesy’ Bass, a former billboard painter, created the mural. “It took him probably six weeks,” Angie explained, “He stayed on and off… weeks at a time painting that for me.” All the men in the mural are from Mercer. Papa Daddy sits by the logo for the restaurant and wears a Greg’s Sawmill cap. Another of Cheesy’s murals of the Hatchie Bottom Railroad will be painted soon in the main dining room.
People stay at Papa Daddy’s even after they finish their food and settle their bill. Angie delights in it; this was what she wanted. “When they walk in, I don’t want it to feel like a restaurant; I want it to feel like their dinner table." Papa Daddy’s feels like your grandmother’s house. It’s steeped in nostalgia and warmth and fellowship. You want to linger there. People who haven’t seen each other in years run into each other and catch up at Papa Daddy’s, sometimes staying out on the porch long after everyone has left for the night. When asked what role Papa Daddy’s plays in the small community, Angie replied, “I think that we’re here to love on people and serve them and just hope that when they leave they have a full belly and see Jesus in us."
With people now coming in from Brownsville and North Jackson, that community that surrounds Papa Daddy’s is slowly growing. “I do get people that I don’t know,” she stated, “but I know them before they leave.”
The house favorites are the club, Philly cheesesteak nachos, and the cheeseburger. Angie posts the lunch special to their Facebook page every morning around 10 am. Fridays and Saturdays, they always have ribeye and prime rib. It’s almost hard to describe their food, it’s so delicious. The chicken parmesan, with a side of pasta, is a great lunch special that you need to catch, especially if it’s your cheat day! The tater tots and onion rings are the best: crispy and golden brown perfection. If you like spicy food, the Philly cheesesteak is amazing. It does have jalapenos in with the onions and peppers, but unlike other cheesesteaks, it isn’t greasy.
And if you’re in the mood for dessert, Papa Daddy’s will completely satisfy that craving. Their chocolate delight is wonderful; it’s chocolate mousse on top of crumbled chocolate cookies and covered in whipped cream and chocolate syrup. It’s not overly sweet like some chocolate is. It reminded us of the good, semi-sweet or dark chocolate your grandmother liked and you didn’t as a child. And the cheesecake? The cheesecake is sinfully good. Angie and her team are doing the Lord’s work, but that cheesecake is just straight sin. Angie even confessed that she “never liked cheesecake until I ate this one." She told us that “After you cut the cake, you got this glob in the center. And I was like, ‘it’s a shame to waste that.’ So, I just picked it up and ate it one day… I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t need anything else to watch!" They also have a chocolate chip cheesecake and Reese’s cheesecake.
Angie opened on June 8th and wanted to have their grand opening on June 13th, in honor of Papa Daddy, birthday. She held off, to the bewilderment of her husband, because “it’s gonna have to cool off. It’s gonna be too hot for anybody to enjoy it." She also wanted to wait in order to work out the kinks and have everything going smoothly. Their grand opening is October 19th, 2019. It’s going to be a wonderful time with live gospel bands, ministry, fellowship, and great food. Papa Daddy’s is a wonderful place to relax, lean back, enjoy a great meal, and take a moment to enjoy family and friends.
The service is outstanding as well. They never want anyone waiting for their food for long periods of time. It’s hard to believe that Papa Daddy’s has only been open for 3 months. With 225 to 250 guests on Fridays and around 200 on Saturdays, Papa Daddy’s has to be a well-oiled machine. “Usually, from the time they sit down ‘til they get their meal, we try to do it all in 20 minutes. And the kitchen works toward that. They got a timer. As soon as they get that ticket, the timer goes and they try and get it within 20 minutes.”
For Angie and her family, Papa Daddy’s is their mustard seed. It’s how they spread the Lord’s Word and support their community. There are still four thousand square feet of unrenovated space in the building. Their plans? “What I’d like to do upstairs is renovate it and have a place where the youth and the kids in the community are able to come and get off the streets and have something to do… and give them something to do so they won’t be bored.”
Papa Daddy’s feels like your grandmother’s house; warm, inviting, and interesting. The food is fantastic and the desserts are decadent. It’s the perfect place to take the family. And who knows? You might even catch up with some old friends!
Papa Daddy’s is located at 1704 Highway 138, Mercer, TN. Their hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. They are closed on Sunday and Monday. Their lunch specials are posted around 10 a.m. every day to their Facebook page: Papa Daddy’s.
