MCDONOUGH, Ga. — Martha Mills started as a server at Kirby G's Diner and Pub more than a dozen years ago. Now, as general manager, she holds a greater appreciation for the place she calls home.
"You can expect a smile and a warm hello and a good burger," Mills said. "This place is in my hometown. I grew up here. I really love the owners. Kirby G’s has always been like a family.”
Mills raves about the doting customers, the dedicated staff, and the chance to put a smile on their faces every day. Whether it's a Philly cheesesteak, The Marriage of the Century burger, or a side of fries or onion rings, Mills serves each dish with a little more compassion than ever before.
"The people that come in know your name, they say hey, you know who they are," Mills said. "Some come an hour or two to come eat at Kirby G’s. It's just downhome America.”
With lights aglow for the holidays, it was almost lights out for the downtown McDonough staple. Surveillance video shows a truck errantly backing a dumpster into the diner on an early morning back in August 2021.
The incident caused electrical, plumbing and structural damage. Mills said it was originally estimated to cost about $11,000 for repairs, but that number quickly climbed. Other mishaps with insurance and additional issues forced the restaurant to close for repairs last September. Mills said staff would go to other restaurants to learn best practices while they waited for repairs on their own diner.
"It's an older building, so it cost a lot of damage," Mills said. "Then it just dominoes from there. We had to hire almost all new employees. Out of about 14, we have five left. We had to rehire kitchen staff, servers. It just seemed like one thing after another."
For 15 months, regulars like Bryce Deyton missed that taste of home from Kirby G's and a taste from the past.
"I worked here for my first job in high school when I was 16," Deyton said. "It was traumatic, and it kind of felt like a part of home was removed."
The diner finally reopened on Dec. 15. Teresa Montenegro and so many others can now get the gift for which they had been waiting over a year and a lesson in resilience.
“I’ve been waiting and waiting, going online, and finally they opened," Montenegro said. "So I was super excited. Everyone here makes you feel like family, and it’s always been very nice and welcoming. They remember you. This place has taught me not to give up, to always be hopeful, and if you're doing something right, keeping it like family and the food's delicious, I think your customers will always come."
Mills gets her own Christmas miracle and a reminder of why she got into the restaurant business in the first place.
"Sometimes, you take things for granted," Mills said. "But I really appreciate my job. I'm thankful for it, and it's a great time of year to reopen because miracles happen…and we're a miracle."