As usual, on Sunday, I give praise to someone who is special. Today it is a husband and wife duo who run a restaurant in Brewton, AL. Granted that most individuals that run restaurants are special people, but Lisa and Freddie McMillan are a step above most restauranteurs, as in their restaurant, Drexell & Honeybee’s, there are no prices on the menu. Because you can pay whatever you can afford. And if you can’t spare a dime, no problem.
From Epoch Bright:
It’s the brainchild of Lisa McMillan, a woman who got her inspiration to be a culinary guardian angel in a grocery store checkout line. While waiting behind an older woman who was digging loose change out of her purse, Ms. McMillan discovered that the lady could use a financial helping hand. She started cooking and delivering breakfast to her.
“Pretty soon, I had 27 other seniors on my route, bringing eggs, grits, and bacon while stopping at Burger King for 27 cups of coffee,” she said.
Mr. McMillan loved his wife’s original idea when she told him that she wanted to open a restaurant to help the needy. “I saw her motivation and said, ‘Let’s take it on.’ There’s great satisfaction in feeding people that really need a helping hand,” he said.
Five years ago, Ms. McMillan and her husband, Freddie, took things to another level, spending more than six figures to turn an empty liquor store that was a major fixer-upper into a cheerful, welcoming restaurant complete with exposed brick walls and a gorgeous wood ceiling.
For the past five years, Drexell & Honeybee’s has been a shining beacon for those in need who could use a hot meal. The unique restaurant in this small town near the Alabama–Florida border has taken Southern hospitality to another level, offering traditional lunches three days a week. The customers number more than 100 on an average day. Some pay more than what the meal would normally cost, subsidizing those who can’t afford to leave anything in the donation box except a note of thanks.
As you leave the restaurant, there’s a donation box behind a privacy screen near the front door, so no one has any idea if you’ve paid for your meal or not, using the “left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing” concept. You can read some emotional notes posted above the box. One reads: “I don’t have any money, sorry. But God bless you for everything you do.” Another says, “It’s a blessing to know there are heavenly places on earth.”
“I’m so happy God blessed me with the revelation. Money is only good when you can help other people,” Ms. McMillan said.
If I ever make it to Brewton, I will be stopping at Drexell & Honeybee’s to taste some good old-fashioned Southern home cooking that is seasoned with love.
10/1/23