Jackson Free Press

One meat, three vegetables. That's all a blue plate is in theory. But when you consider main courses such as chicken and dumplings, fried catfish, pot roast, and country-fried steak paired with turnip greens, okra and that uniquely southern vegetable—macaroni and cheese—it's easy to see why people tend to use their cornbread to sop up what's left on the plate.

That's what Georgia Blue hangs its hat on—the daily lunch special served on the iconic blue plate. Restaurateurs Jason and Jennifer Ishee are the architects and majority owners of this distinctly southern restaurant franchise that first opened its doors in Madison in 2010. Since then, they and their business partner and partial owner, Drew Beatty, have opened two more locations in Hattiesburg (September 2012) and Flowood (March 2013).

The rapid success hasn't surprised those who have had a role in the restaurant's development.

"Our success stems from the fact that we have a really good team," says Matthew Bailey, the regional manager of Georgia Blue and a Jackson native. "It's not more complicated than a team we trust who are trying to make Georgia Blue the premier place to be."

Bailey, 33, knows the defining spirit and atmosphere of Georgia Blue and gives you an assortment of reasons to visit. The restaurant's food is a blend of southern and Creole that takes you from the Tennessee hills to the Louisiana Gulf Coast, depending on what menu item you're looking at. Their style is somewhere between casual and upscale, but always comfortable like home.

"We try to hone in on what it means to be southern and what it means to be family," Bailey says. In large part, the original restaurant in Madison was created as a place for both family and community to gather, a modern throwback to the southern home of old.

"We try to cater to what our surrounding community is doing and how we can help them by being a place that they can come and relax," Bailey says.

If shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, and red beans and rice aren't enough to lure you into Georgia Blue, they've got other methods for attracting and keeping customers in the restaurant, one of which is their distinct "draft tables"—basically, a table with its own draft tabs, connected to the bar through a rather intricate piping system that runs through the table. These little oases might not be completely unique to Georgia Blue, but the restaurant is the first in Jackson to embrace such a self-serve beer contraption. The idea behind it goes right back to the restaurant's concept of the shared meal and the community atmosphere that the owners try to create.

"The idea is to get friends and family around a common table," Bailey says.

That table is often outfitted with local products, Bailey says, including regional beers from Lucky Town, Lazy Magnolia and Abita, as well as a continuous stock of other produce and beverages that hail from Mississippi and the south. Bailey particularly likes a house specialty drink from the bar called "Memaw's Special Tea," a twist on sweet tea that includes a squeeze of lemon and a shot of Honeysuckle Cathead Vodka, distilled nearby in Madison County.

"We wanted to bring in the idea that Memaw had something going on the side," Bailey says with a grin.

In addition to local products, Georgia Blue has also been host to a thriving local music scene, offering area musicians a consistent venue to play at. Bailey mentions that they often don't have to go far to fill their music lineup, using mostly Jackson- and Hattiesburg-based groups and artists.

There's been some talk about another new location for Georgia Blue, but Bailey says that development is still in the works. It's a feat that they've been able to open three successful locations in three years, much less begin unfolding a fourth. As for the moment, Bailey hopes that the restaurant can keep evolving and improving.

"We want to do as many things well that we can actually manage," Bailey says. "We don't do fine dining, but we do really well at creating a place where you can bring your family and still get wonderful food."

Check out Georgia Blue's website at georgiablue.net to get a virtual tour of the restaurants, find music listings, and preview menu items and daily blue-plate specials.