When I moved to Chattanooga, people often told me about a place I had to try for lunch. I procrastinated and then found out it was closed. Then, by some miracle, it was open once again, and something told me to hurry up and eat there in case it closed again.
I finally did. I’m talking about the iconic Zarzour’s Café. Although owner Joe “Dixie” Fuller isn’t at the diner every day, photos of him and his beloved wife Shannon still hang on the walls.
Shannon died in 2022 after battling lung cancer and Joe was going to sell the place and retire. The diner was closed for one week in October 2023. But the buyer pulled out of the deal and Joe brought back his original crew and reopened…