Athens, GA · Athens-Clarke County
Feeding the houseafter the Dawgs play
On a home game Saturday every restaurant in Athens has a line out the door by six. Alumni groups and visiting parents who rent a house for the weekend often skip the wait completely and have dinner cooked in the driveway instead.
What a hibachi night looks like in Athens
Most of our Athens calls come from people who don't live there. Families rent a house for the season's home games, old roommates split a place for one big rivalry weekend, and parents fly in for commencement, which brings ceremonies to Sanford Stadium every spring and fills hotels for miles. Hotel rooms on those weekends are scarce and expensive, which is why so many groups rent whole houses. Those rentals tend to sit in the older neighborhoods close to campus, like the Boulevard historic district and Cobbham, or out east toward Lexington Road where houses have more yard and room to park.
The town has a second life between those big weekends. Faculty and hospital families around St. Mary's and Piedmont Athens Regional host birthday parties and holiday dinners at home, and a lot of graduate students celebrate defenses and new jobs with a backyard dinner. The college calendar still matters, though: move-in in August, the stretch of football in the fall and the run-up to graduation are the dates that go first.
From the grill
Setting up in Athens
On game days, streets near campus shut down or fill with tailgaters hours before kickoff, so we plan the chef's arrival around the game time, not just the dinner time. A reserved spot on the driveway matters more here than almost anywhere. Older bungalows near downtown often have a gravel drive and a back stoop rather than a patio; a flat patch of driveway works fine. If you are in a student-style rental, confirm with the landlord that a propane grill is allowed before booking.
Athens questions
Our game ends late. Can dinner start after the final whistle?
Yes, as long as we agree on a window. Night games run long and overtime happens, so we pick a target time with some cushion and stay in touch by text during the fourth quarter.
We're celebrating a May graduation with both families. Is there a guest limit?
There's no hard cap; bigger groups just need more grill time or a second chef. Tell us the headcount early, because commencement weekend is one of our busiest in Georgia.
Do you come to Athens outside football season?
All year. Birthdays, anniversaries and spring cookouts in Athens are on the same calendar as everywhere else we serve.