Genna Benna’s opens this month

By Taylor McKay Hathorn

The Clinton Parkway restaurant location that was formerly home to Fuzzy’s Tacos and Atlas Greek Down South will soon open its doors as Genna Benna’s, a restaurant in the Georgia Blue family of brands.

Jessica Detrick, Latoyia Stephens and Hope Tomlinson all came on board at Genna Benna’s with a single purpose in mind: opening a restaurant in Clinton. Although all three women are new to the “GB” corporation, the company itself is no stranger to the restaurant industry, currently boasting seven locations between its sister restaurants, Genna Benna’s and Georgia Blue.

Stephens will serve as the restaurant’s assistant’s manager once Genna Benna’s opens its doors to Clinton patrons on September 15, with Detrick leading the charge as general manager and Tomlinson serving as the catering and events manager. The trio of women bring a wealth of experience from prior work in the food service industry, but they say that GB brings something special to the table.

“I’m passionate about the company as a whole; they’re wonderful. They’re family-oriented,” Stephens enthused. “They’re not here to put stuff out. They care about service.”

Stephens thinks that the GB business model will mesh well with Clinton’s family- and community-oriented business scene, and she and Tomlinson are both lifelong Clinton residents who are excited to see a new restaurant come to their hometown.

“There are only a few restaurants here,” Detrick acknowledged. “We bring something for everyone, no matter what kind of food you’re in the ‘mood’ for.”
The women have spent the last few months in the kitchen learning how to prepare GB’s variety of dishes, including two or three new menu items that will debut at Genna Benna’s grand opening.

“Everything is from scratch,” Tomlinson said. “Even dressings and sauces.” The commitment to fresh, homemade ingredients has long set GB apart, as the company produces its own seasonings and its own liquor line, including house-made tequila, vodka and bourbon.

After spending so much time getting intimately familiar with GB kitchen, the women have favorite dishes to suggest to patrons who might find themselves overwhelmed with the array of steaks, catfish, pasta and burgers on the menu.

“My favorite is the redfish on the cheese-corn grits,” Detrick remarked. “It comes with rice, but it’s really good on our homemade grits.”

Clintonians will be able to select their own favorites at the Clinton Parkway restaurant once it opens for business on September 15. At press time, plans were for Genna Benna’s to be open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, with blue plate specials available daily and a party room and outside catering service available for booking. In early fall, the restaurant hopes to move to being open seven days a week.