It’s impossible to walk through the door of the Half Way Market & Diner on West Main Street in Franklin and not immediately feel at home. “They say it's kind of like the TV show Cheers,” says owner Kellye King. “Everybody knows your name when they come in.”
From the delectable smell of their home cooking to the warm atmosphere and décor, stepping foot into this southern meat-and- three style diner instantly evokes feelings of home and nostalgia. The seat-yourself establishment features an eclectic collection of beautifully carved wooden tables and chairs straight from your grandmother’s house and often these tables are shared by anyone and everyone who walks through the door. It’d be no surprise to see a retired couple coming for lunch seated by a businessman in a tie, and a construction worker on a lunch break striking up conversation without a cell phone in sight.
“They feel like they're at home, and we treat them as such,” says King of her patrons. “We try really hard to learn their names and know ‘em. And you end up knowing their family and what's going on with their family and you truly care.”
And she really does know them all. Within a 15-minute interview for this article, King personally cashed out nearly 10 restaurant guests who she knew by name and asked about their families or jobs from behind a register counter decorated with graduation announcements and children’s drawings.
Kellye and her husband, Paul, have been married for 30 years and have lived in middle Tennessee their entire lives. Almost 18 years ago, they decided to dive headfirst into the restaurant business. “It was just kind of on a whim,” she says. “Friends of ours owned another Half Way and we bought it from them, and it’s just become a staple right in Franklin. My husband had always said ‘God, I would just love to have a little restaurant, a little country diner.’ And then the friends that we bought it from, they were going to open a restaurant at the river. It was just God's timing, I guess.”
The name comes from the original location that the restaurant held for 17 years—15 of them under the King’s ownership—which was halfway to Leiper’s Fork, Burwood, and Franklin. Almost three years ago they moved to their current location due to a lease issue but also to expand into a bigger space.
The traditional, homestyle cooking is one that has increasingly been disappearing from the Nashville area, but the Kings are keeping it alive for their loyal flock of customers who to them are more like family.
With meats including fried chicken, meatloaf, pot roast, fried pork chops, and country fried steak, and sides like baked apples, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cornbread, fried okra, and green beans, you truly can’t get a better selection of traditional Southern cooking.
They serve a tasty meat and three, Tuesday through Friday, opening promptly at 5:30 a.m (and 6:30 a.m. on Saturdays) to be sure to serve the county and city employees who often start work at 6 a.m. and frequently get a breakfast biscuit from their “grab and go” hot box. King is always sure to be there bright and early to see her customers. “Our biscuits are huge,” she says of the breakfast sandwiches made with Tennessee sausage and ham. “We probably sell 400+ biscuits every morning.”
Sourcing local ingredients is important to the Kings. They buy local as much as possible, including hydroponically grown salad from nearby Greener Roots Farm and almost all their desserts are made locally as well. “The best part is when it strikes in memory," says King. “‘This corn tastes just like my grandmother’s’ or ‘The chicken and dressing taste just like my Aunt Sally’s.’ Those are things I love—when it creates a memory that they have.”
The team in the kitchen put their heart and soul into the meals they’re serving and they’ve been there for the long haul. “Nellie's kind of my head girl in the kitchen and her sister, Faye,” says King. “They're the ones that have been here for life and we just hired Heather about a year ago. And Paul’s brother helps us on the grill. So pretty much different families, but families.”
When asked why she thinks the diner is such a staple here in town, her answer is simple but honest. “I truly think it's just the way we treat people,” she says. “It’s homey, it’s comfortable. That's always my rule. I don't want them past this counter until I've spoken to them.” Facebook.com/HalfwayMarket
“They feel like they're at home, and we treat them as such.”
“Our biscuits are huge. We probably sell 400+ biscuits every morning.”