A piece of history passes for thousands in the greater Birmingham area.
Since 1937, for 86 years, Lloyd’s Restaurant, off Highway 280 east of Birmingham, has been the go-to place for barbecue, meat and three, fried chicken and heavenly onion rings. Lloyd’s has been a Southern Fried Restaurant.
Now, the owners have announced they are closing, with their last day being October 15. No specific reason was given for the usually crowded restaurant to close.
Lloyd’s has a large private room in the back where class reunions, family reunions, church gatherings, and even wedding receptions have been held for decades.
Here is the announcement posted on Lloyd’s Facebook page:
To our Lloyd’s Family,
It is with heavy hearts and great sadness we must share some difficult news. We regret to inform you that Lloyd’s Restaurant Inverness will be closing its doors and the last day we will be open is October 15th.
However, we're delighted to inform you that our Sylacauga location will remain open and ready to serve you with the same delicious food and warm hospitality that you've come to expect from us.
We want to express our sincere gratitude to each and every one of you for allowing us to be a part of your lives through dining experiences at our Inverness location. Your support and patronage have meant the world to us.
We would like to thank our staff, past and present, for helping make Lloyd’s a truly special place and for providing so many wonderful dining experiences for our customers.
Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you soon at Lloyd’s Restaurant Sylacauga, where we can continue to create wonderful memories together.
We are forever grateful and look forward to seeing y’all soon,
Lloyd’s Restaurant
Lloyd’s was founded by the late Lloyd Chesser on Highway 280, originally in Chelsea on the east side of Double Oak Mountain. They later moved to the current location in the Inverness area, also on 280.
At the time of its founding, the favorite dish at Lloyd’s was the 16-ounce hamburger steak with gravy and onions, complete with French fries and a salad. Extras included wispy onion rings and pies – lemon or chocolate. This selection remains the favorite, closely followed by the southern fried chicken and barbecue.
The identical Lloyd’s menu will continue to be served at a brand new Lloyd’s in Sylacauga, Alabama, also on Highway 280, 25 miles to the east of Lloyd’s closing Birmingham location. There is not a room in the Sylacauga location for the large gatherings.
Jim Zeigler is former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor.
