Story & Photos By Jennifer Kornegay
Growing up, Joel Moon would tag along with his dad as he worked to keep the multiple Burger King locations he owned in and around Gadsden running smoothly. Joel pitched in, picking up trash in the parking lot and pulling weeds from grassy areas. “I was cheap labor; I got paid in Whoppers,” he says.
With a front-row seat to watch how hard and how long his father worked, Moon considered other career options once he was grown. And yet today, he owns and operates Gadsden’s 278 Restaurant with his wife Teresa. And before that, the couple owned The Choice restaurant downtown. “For so long, I didn’t think I wanted anything to do with the restaurant business,” Moon says, “but I guess it’s just in my blood.”
While the restaurant’s “meat ’n three” plates are popular, their menu is diverse, with burgers, salads, and of course, the club sandwich. Photo Courtesy 278 Restaurant
It seems safe to assume the regulars who fill the dining room, starting at 6 a.m. for breakfast and continuing through lunch, are glad he’s got gravy and sweet tea running through his veins. Had Joel not followed in his father’s footsteps, they’d miss out on meat and veggie plates piled high with fluffy sweet potato casserole, soft, silky butter beans, hearty meatloaf, and golden cornbread; juicy cheeseburgers or salads (like the popular strawberry salad packed with berries and candied pecans) followed by a slice of homemade peanut butter pie or scoop of peach cobbler.
Despite years of saying he wouldn’t work in restaurants, right after college Joel ended up helping his dad with the Dairy Queen his parents owned. And his dad also co-owned the 278 at that time. When his dad passed away, he ran the Dairy Queen for a bit and then sold it. He also sold his father’s half of the 278 Restaurant and turned his attention to taking over The Choice when its original owner retired. In 2018, the owners of 278 were ready to call it quits and called Joel to see if he wanted to buy it back.
He did, and since he and Teresa took over, business has boomed. Joel says the eatery’s success is no secret, just adherence to a simple mantra. “I look at things like this: If you’re going to do things, do them right,” he says. “So, we’re not fast, but we do food right. Everything is homemade, and items are cooked to order; we don’t have a warming lamp to hold things.” Back in the kitchen, Teresa’s whipping up dishes and ensuring your bacon is freshly crisped, your hand-pattied burger gets cooked just right and comes out hot, and your fried-green tomatoes get dunked in hot oil right after you ask for them. “That’s why people come here — our commitment to doing the job well,” Joel says.
Everyone is like family
And it’s a family effort, a fact that Joel relishes. He handles the business aspects, and while Teresa cooks, their daughter Haley serves diners with a smile. “I love that my wife and daughter get to work together and be together every day; they really are best friends,” he says. “And Haley is great out front with our customers. She has the personality for it, and our service overall is friendly and welcoming. All our people love to chat and socialize with our diners.”
While Joel enjoys seeing new people discover 278, his loyal regulars light him up brightest. “We have the early morning crew that comes in, has breakfast and solves the world’s problems over coffee,” he says. Others do the same at lunchtime. “We’re kinda like the Cheers bar, where everybody knows everybody and has their special spot to sit.”
And continually satisfying those who come time and time again keeps him going when the days are as long and as hard as they were for his dad. “Restaurants are a tough job, but when folks take the time to come up to the kitchen window telling you, ‘Lunch was so good,’ or ‘I love coming here,’ or ‘Our waitress was so nice,’ that makes all of it worthwhile,” he says.
278 Restaurant
1700 Piedmont Cutoff, Gadsden, AL 35903
256-492-6868
facebook.com/p/The-278-Restaurant
Hours: 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday
