Planning a perfect spring picnic with Magnolia Room Cafeteria

TUCKER, Ga. - In case you didn’t know, tomorrow is National Picnic Day — and there is no better food to fill your basket with than the delicious home cooking of Magnolia Room Cafeteria!

This morning on Good Day Atlanta, we spent a few hours with owner Louis Squires and his talented team, sampling Magnolia Room’s satisfying soul food and picking the perfect picnic-ready entrées and sides. Of course, if you’ve ever been to the popular Tucker cafeteria, you know there are a lot of options from which to choose; the famous Magnolia Plate is a classic meat-and-two-sides platter (plus bread and drink), and meats include baked white or dark chicken, Springer Mountain fried chicken, fried catfish, and sirloin and onions. Fresh vegetables are sourced from Sherry’s Produce in Tucker and include green beans, turnip greens, and cabbage.

As we learned during our last visit to Magnolia Room Cafeteria (way back in 2023…what took so long to come back?), Squires decided to open the restaurant following the closure of the popular S&S Cafeteria in Embry Hills, and brought along many of the former S&S staffers to work at his establishment. Squires chose the name as an homage to the famed dining room at the downtown Rich’s Department Store.

Magnolia Room Cafeteria is located at 4450 Hugh Howell Road in Tucker, and regular hours are 11:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information on the restaurant and to check out the menu, click here. And, yes, you can place an order for pickup online, making your picnic planning quick and easy!