Many Mobile Bay dining establishments, from the humble drive-in to a white-linen-tablecloth place, play a part in the lives of locals. People become friends, make business deals, share secrets, get engaged, celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, break up, have first dates and even first kisses within the walls of these places.
Sometimes, it’s the simple things that make a restaurant memorable. Anyone who attended Fairhope High School prior to Jack Ellis’ restaurant closing in 1980 can tell you a story or two about how they skipped school, slipped over to Jack’s for a great cheeseburger or shrimp po’boy, then (not always successfully) took a circuitous path back to school. Several former FHS students and friends of Jack’s had a lot of comments and memories to share with each other online.
FHS alum Bobby Green wrote, “There was an ad in the school newspaper that read ‘Skip On Over to Jack’s.’ Ate lunch there 28 school days in a row with buddies. The Dyers, who owned the gas station across from Jack’s, turned a blind eye to the skippers.” But one fateful day, as Green went into Jack’s with buddies James Waters, Russell Cowles and Alan Lipscomb, there was the entire coaching staff of the football team. He added, “They did let us eat lunch before they busted us.”
Simple memories like these stick with you for a lifetime and always bring a smile. Take a walk with us through the good times and meals of days gone by along the Eastern Shore, starting with a cocktail and some pool…