New Look, New Name for Downtown Restaurant

Ward Schaefer

Suniora's Sidewalk Cafe is located at 200 S. Lamar St., in downtown Jackson.

by Ward Schaefer

Suniora Page bounced back from bad luck to a new career. After being laid off from her job as a manager at the Nissan plant in Canton in October 2008, Page took a job as a cashier at Miller's Grocery in the City Centre building downtown. When she heard that the owners were looking to sell the location, she decided to make the leap to ownership and purchased the restaurant.

"I just thought it was the luck of the draw," Page told the Jackson Free Press. "You're in the right place at the right time."

She opened Suniora's Sidewalk Cafe in the old Miller's Grocery location the first week of October.

Page, 29, says she contributes her "people skills" to the business, but her mother Penny is responsible for the restaurant's recipes. In addition to the southern buffet, sandwiches and pizza that Miller's served, Suniora's also offers more home-style Southern dishes like turkey necks, rutabagas and squash. Page hopes to expand to short-order offerings like burgers in the future, but for now she's just learning the basics of the restaurant business.

"Certain people are very particular about what they want," Page said she has learned. "You just have to learn the people and know what they like. Me, I'm a people-pleaser, so I try to accommodate each individual.

"I've had to learn, the majority will overrule the individual," Page added with a laugh.

Page has been pleasantly surprised with the pace of business downtown.

"I did not realize downtown had so much to offer," Page said. "The people downtown are so nice. I like the atmosphere."

Suniora's Sidewalk Cafe is located at 200 S. Lamar St., and is open from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Call 601-355-1955. Fans of Miller's can visit the Miller's Grill Downtown at 224 E. Capitol St., 601-354-4044.

posted by Deirdra Harris Glover on 11/06/09 at 02:00 PM

posted by UTgrad on 11/06/09 at 02:26 PM

posted by thabian on 11/06/09 at 04:37 PM