The Historic Georgia Diner Championed By Guy Fieri

In 1967, Teresa Breckenridge's father bought what's become an Atlanta institution beloved by locals, out-of-towners, and Guy Fieri himself — The Silver Skillet. Though the greasy spoon diner had been open since 1956, it was Teresa Breckenridge's family who made the classic diner, which serves up to 125 pots of coffee daily, famous. 

Stepping into the Silver Skillet is like stepping back in time. It was designed by Jimmy Collins, who went on to become the President of Chick-fil-A. The Silver Skillet was his first complete design of a restaurant, and it looks the same today — with only the addition of a credit card reader and the removal of a cigarette vending machine. There are still hand-painted specials menus hanging on the walls,  and the same horse photos bought by the original owner for his daughter. The vintage avocado-green Naugahyde seats, shark-fin windows, and boomerang-patterned Formica tables give it that nostalgic, small-town feel that has made it a favorite for TV shows, commercials, and movies. Operated now by Teresa Breckenridge, there have been few changes to the aesthetic — or the menu.

Guy Fieri, whose love of Southern comfort foods inspired him to open his own fried chicken chain — which is our favorite fast food fried chicken chain, visited the diner again in 2025 to reminisce about the 2009 episode of "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" which featured this gem. He asked if the menu was different at all. The answer? They added meatloaf. Guy Fieri had it right when he said, "People need consistency in this world."

Teresa Breckenridge credits the diner's commitment to both good food and service for their popularity. One reviewer wrote, "At this point[,] it could pass for a historic landmark with some of the best food in the state" (via The Macon).

One of the diner's most well-loved dishes is the classic ham, grits, and red-eye gravy. Each piece of ham is hand-trimmed and bone-in, marinated in a blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, paprika, and cola, which produces what some in the South call grease gravy. Coffee is added to the drippings to make a standard red-eye gravy. The grits contain an enormous amount of margarine, which gives them their buttery flavor. Grits are made of dried, ground corn or hominy, simmered in water — but the richest grits use milk or stock to achieve a delectable softness and unbeatable flavor.

Customers also love the diner's famous biscuits with white gravy, sweet tea, and its crispy, plate-sized pancakes. The menu also boasts quintessential dishes like fried catfish strips, chicken and waffles, and corned beef hash. For lunch, the menu contains sandwiches, salads, and burgers, as well as Skillet favorites —  things like Southern pot roast, country-fried steak, and the new but welcome meatloaf with red sauce, a homemade tomato sauce that puts standard ketchup to shame.

The Silver Skillet is well-loved for its desserts, too, like its peach cobbler, banana pudding, pecan pie, and lemon ice-box pie — a lemon custard pie with cream. In fact, when Guy Fieri had the bright idea to top it with some lemon zest, he was quickly shot down with a look from Breckenridge that said, "Why mess with perfection?"