End of an era: Stein's restaurant closes Friday after 44 years as an anchor in South Memphis
Stein's has been a South Memphis anchor for more than four decades, drawing customers ranging from construction workers and nurses to corporate executives and politicians.
But the soul-food restaurant on S. Lauderdale Street near E. Mallory Ave. served its last lunch crowd Friday, an unusually large gathering of customers, some of whom came armed with cake and ice cream and flowers to celebrate Willistine Myrick, who opened Stein's in 1978 next to her beauty salon.
"When we first opened, it was July of '78 and everyone knew then that we opened and people just started coming," Myrick said Friday while taking a rare break from cooking her signature fried catfish and baked turkey wings. "Word of mouth really just built this business because we always please our customers."
Myrick, 76, is retiring, citing the staff shortage as the main factor driving her to close the popular lunch restaurant that also did a robust takeout business.
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"I don't feel good about it. I really don't want to do it, but I don't have enough employees to help me," Myrick said. Putting away her apron and spatula has been a constant countdown as she got older. "It's time to retire," she said.
A steady stream of customers came Friday, some stepping into the steamy kitchen to say goodbye and hug Myrick, who despite the flurry of activity in the dining room mostly stayed in the kitchen to finish what she first started when Jimmy Carter was U.S. president and J. Wyeth Chandler was Memphis mayor.
"There are two reasons you come to Stein's. Number one the food is good and number two this is where all the important people meet," said longtime customer Charles Ewing, president, and CEO of Ewing Moving & Storage. "You have Black corporate executives here carrying information, and you get a chance to catch up on the latest news from the political and business perspectives. If there's someone you need to meet or see, this is the place to do it."
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Fred Jones, a concert and event promoter and founder of the Southern Heritage Classic, said he has eaten lunch at Stein's multi-color square tables "probably four or five times a week for the past 10 years."
He said Myrick's kindness and consistency are what make Stein's atmosphere amazing.
Jones, like other customers, recalled memories of coming to dine at Stein's and what he will miss. "It's bittersweet. It felt good to come in and get a really good meal," Jones said.
Ewing noted that Stein's is the South Memphis equivalent of the TV sitcom bar "Cheers," where everyone knows your name.
Myrick herself has become a South Memphis institution.
"She's like part of our family," said John Ford, a former state senator, and director of N.J. Ford and Sons Funeral Home in South Memphis. Ford, a 20-year customer of Stein's, said that the closing of this chapter is unfortunate but exciting for Myrick.
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"I feel sad, but elated. She's worked hard so it's time for her relax and find peace and tranquility for the rest of her life," Ford said.
Stein's planned to close around 3 p.m. Friday, but judging from the steady flow of customers who kept arriving and the full dining room at 2 p.m. Myrick would be lucky to finish up by 4 p.m.
And Myrick said it would be a relief to arrive home after closing Stein's one last time Friday after 44 years.
Porsha Hernandez is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at porsha.hernandez@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Stein's soul food restaurant closes after 44 years in South Memphis
