Our Best | Country cooking and catering in Smithfield
IF IT LOOKS LIKE HALF THE TOWN of Smithfield is dining at Our Best restaurant on a busy evening, you might be right—by the numbers, at least. The restaurant seats 100 people, or 54% of Smithfield’s population in 2022.
Guests aren’t just locals, though. General manager Aric Way, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Brittney, says the restaurant is a destination for diners seeking a personable family experience. “We try to talk to everybody that comes in, and we’ve known a lot of good friends over the past 35 years,” he says. “Everybody’s like family.”
Aric’s grandfather, Kenneth Way, opened the restaurant in 1989 after retiring from a career in sales at Smith’s Furniture. “They asked him if he knew anything about food,” Aric says. “He said, ‘No, but my wife’s got recipes.’” Aric, who has worked at the restaurant since he was 15, is a co-owner, along with Brittney and his dad, Kenny. Many of Kay Way’s family recipes are still on the menu—fried chicken, fried cornbread (recipe below), catfish, homemade pies and more.
Our Best also caters corporate events. The biggest to date—for an auto manufacturer in Chattanooga—fed 11,000 people. Each year, Aric staffs an event with local high school athletes, parents and coaches. Last year, the Carroll County High School football boosters raised more than $7,500 to help cover gear and activities. “They really care about not just their community, but also the surrounding communities,” says Casey Chadwell, who is the father of a senior and guardian of a junior on the Carroll County football team. “It really shows in their actions.”
Located at 5728 Smithfield Road in Smithfield, Our Best restaurant is open 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday, closed Mondays.
