TAKING CARE OF CUSTOMERS, one taste at a time THE MERCANTILE

Story by LISA SAVAGE

CAFE/SWEET SIMPLICITY

Renee Holt learned to cook from her mother and both of her grandmothers, so life revolved around food. “Cooking was an important part of our family gatherings,” she says.

It was such a big part of their lives, Renee and her mom always dreamed of owning a restaurant on the square in Manchester. However, taking the plunge seemed overwhelming.

After spending 25 years in the retail business and 10 years working for a financial adviser — and with no restaurant experience under her belt — Renee’s dream came true. In 2015, she took over The Mercantile Cafe, and it’s grown more than she ever imagined.

However, Renee didn’t have the help of her mom, who became sick and passed away from cancer prior to the restaurant opening.

An Opportunity

Before there was a restaurant, however, Renee found a way to show her cooking skills. For years, she made homemade jams and jellies from fruits her husband grew in his garden. She sold them at the farmers market under the name Sweet Simplicity.

Meanwhile, her father’s cousins, Jane Lusk and Sue Banks, owned The Mercantile Cafe on the Manchester town square. Once, when there was an issue with the cash register, Renee helped out.

Soon, she was helping more and more to learn about the business.

At the time, The Mercantile sold antiques and other odds and ends, and served lunch three days a week. “They had a few tables, but it wasn’t a fullblown restaurant,” Renee says.

When Jane and Sue decided to retire, Renee took over The Mercantile Cafe. Renee and her sister went in on the venture together, but now Renee is the sole owner. She wanted to leverage the customer base for the jams and jellies she sold at the farmers market, so she melded the name of that business with the cafe.

Now, Mercantile Cafe/Sweet Simplicity offers cafeteria-style meals, a full-service bakery, catering, food truck and a gift shop. The growing business brought other changes, too.

“I got it in my head I could continue the restaurant and keep my job,” Renee says. She soon discovered it was too much. The restaurant required all her time, and she gave up her job with the financial adviser. And the business keeps growing, including catering. “We can cater for 20 people or for an event with 300 people,” she says. “We cater anything from weddings to family reunions.”

As many fresh ingredients are used as possible, including those from local farmers and vegetables from her husband’s garden. He even expanded his growing season to raise fall and winter vegetables like broccoli. Also, desserts are made fresh daily. “We don’t use anything from a mix or a box,” Renee says.

Chicken and dressing is one of the most popular dishes on the menu. “We make between 250 and 300 pounds of chicken and dressing each week,” she says. “The amount quadruples during the holiday season.”

The cafe also offers burgers, homemade pimento cheese and chicken salad. Dishes like turnip greens and mashed potatoes are cooked fresh, never from a can or box. The restaurant serves fish every Friday, and the first Friday of each month features a shrimp boil. “It’s been really popular,” she says.

Customer Service

Renee moved the restaurant almost two years ago to a new location. It’s a bigger kitchen, and there’s more seating and space for the gift shop. It’s still considered part of the square, but sits on a side street. The business has a following and draws visitors from across the region. “We want people to feel like they’re at home,” Renee says. “We’re a small town and this is a unique kind of place.”

Even with about 15 employees, it’s not unusual to find Renee interacting with customers in the dining room. “I love to make them smile and feel at home,” she says.

Customer service is key — and of course, so is some of the best food around. “I’ve never run a restaurant, but I know how to cook and bake,” she says. “I also know about customer service. It’s important to take care of your customers no matter what business you’re in. We want to have a down-home feel and want customers to always feel welcome.”

The gift shop provides a place to sell her homemade fruit jams and jellies, and she has expanded to include relishes, pickles, salsa and pepper jelly — one of her best sellers.

She sells novelty items, with a vast assortment of kitchen gadgets. The shop also stocks Black Rifle Coffee, roasted locally in Manchester. Whole pies such as chess, fudge and pecan are available to purchase in the gift shop.

“The restaurant has turned into a really big business,” Renee says. “We appreciate our customers and their support, which helped us grow to where we are now.”

The Mercantile Cafe/Sweet Simplicity

210 N. Irwin St., Manchester 931-723-2491

HOURS:

• Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

• Friday, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

• Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

• Closed Monday and Tuesday