Savannah Staple Paula Deen Shutters Iconic Restaurants
Hello, I’m Sage Matthews, and if you needed more proof the universe is a cosmic prankster, here’s your latest 2 AM doomscroll delight. Of course this happened.
Celebrity chef Paula Deen has quietly closed two of her most historic Savannah eateries, marking the end of an era that began back in 1989 with a catering venture called The Bag Lady. In a joint statement posted to Facebook on August 1, Deen, 78, and her sons Jamie, 58, and Bobby, 55, confirmed that July 31 was the final day of service for The Lady & Sons and its casual cousin, The Chicken Box. The notice thanked loyal patrons for “great memories” and “36 years” of support, while extending “endless love and gratitude” to the staff who kept the Southern comfort food flowing.
Onlookers couldn’t help but notice the telltale signs of a shutdown. Windows at the original The Lady & Sons location were obscured by brown paper, and handwritten notices declared, “It is with heavy hearts and tremendous gratitude that we announce that we have retired and closed,” according to CBS News. Fans flocking to the corner of Abercorn and W Congress saw tables cleared out and the familiar chicken boxes boxed up for good.
This move comes almost a decade after Deen’s very public downfall in 2013, when admissions of past racial slurs led the Food Network to drop her flagship show and cost her major sponsorships. Since then, she has fought tooth and nail to rebuild her empire—launching Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, carving out a space on YouTube, and even hosting At Home With Paula Deen on Fox Nation—but fans of her Savannah roots will feel the sting of these closures.
The family isn’t disappearing completely, though. Their statement made it clear that all eyes will now turn to the four remaining Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen locations in Pigeon Forge, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, and Branson. In fact, they’ve already scheduled a pit stop in Branson on August 8 to “continue visiting these restaurants regularly,” as if the world needed another reminder that she’s pivoting rather than folding.
Despite the fanfare around new ventures, this feels more like damage control than a triumphant reboot. Deen has worked hard to gloss over past controversies and expand her brand, but shuttering the very spots that launched her career suggests something deeper—perhaps an inability to sustain those hometown vibes in a changing market. Her website has already removed the Savannah venues from its restaurant roster, a blunt digital erasure that underscores how swiftly success can slip into memory.
If you thought the restaurant biz was recession-proof or immune to public sentiment, think again. Even a name as recognizable as Paula Deen isn’t shielded from shifting tastes, economic headaches, or the long shadow of old mistakes. And so we watch another cherished institution pack up its silverware and close its doors, wondering what other pillars of normalcy will tumble next.
Anyway, don’t hold your breath waiting for a happier chapter. At this point, should we even pretend to be surprised?
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online, CBS News
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
