Restaurant Spotlight:
the grit by Shelby Duffy | photography by Krysten Hardee
There is a steady buzz of people laughing and having a good time. That classic diner atmosphere: people chatting, a loud laugh carries across the room while plates and cups clink in the background. A bell rings when someone enters. The Grit is never really silent, which is a good thing. The wait staff smiles at you every chance they get, and they’re all willing to talk like you are old friends. People steadily leave and come in off the street as cars zoom by, and the bar is always full of people. The building is owned by R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe, and many of the previous owners and staff are musicians. The Grit is a popular hangout spot for many other musicians, including those in Athens and from out of town. The Grit owes a lot of its success to musicians, including those who work there and those who frequent the Athens restaurant. Just as the name describes, the restaurant has a gritty feel to it. Not in a dirty way that makes you uncomfortable, but more in a well-loved way that makes you feel right at home. As the website describes its history, this restaurant was not an initial success. Starting off as a “healthy” restaurant in what used to be the red-light district of Athens, this old building has found a way to keep the best aspects of its past and resurge new life on the inside. The building is old, with faded bricks and a large metal sign; the front covered in a bright sea foam green paint. “The Grit is really cute. It has this cool diner feel to it,” says Madison Gable, a sophomore journalism major from Roswell. The inside has kept the same sentiment with scarce walls painted to look like exposed concrete and Spanish style tin ceiling tiles. The restaurant itself seems to be a contradiction of sorts- an old meets new feel.
10
ugazine
fall 2016