A man who could be 60 or 80, wearing a gray ball cap, jeans, and work boots, ambles out the front door of the Lakeside Grill at Lake Holt, intercepting a family with young children on their way in from the parking lot. “Bring ’em over here,” he says, “and let ’em see the baby ducks!” He waves the kids over to a small picnic shelter, where a pile of yellow fuzz peeps in the back corner. Based on his friendly welcome, you might assume that the man is the owner. But Ollie Hayes, who goes by “OC,” is just one of the regular customers at this tiny grill in Butner. He’s 80, by the way. He’s been coming here nearly every day for the past two years.
Alicia Chamberlain photograph by Alex Boerner
“These guys all used to go to Bojangles,” says owner Alicia Chamberlain, tipping her chin toward the cluster of gray-haired men scattered around the grill’s 10 indoor tables. “OC used to come here afterward and started bringing his buddies. One by one, they started trickling in. Now it’s a full house. They’re all friends. They come here most mornings around 8. They fight and argue and tell lies. They’ll wander off before lunchtime.”
From her favorite spot on the back porch, which overlooks a grassy slope down to the lake, Chamberlain keeps an eye on her customers inside. “He always gets a BLT, no tomato. That one loves the turkey and the barbecue. The guy who just left used to be a cop in Durham. He’s had so many heart attacks, he just drives himself to the hospital now.”
At her restaurant, Chamberlain welcomes regulars like (from left) Rex Temple, Ollie “OC” Hayes, Sidney Baker, and Johnny Blalock. photograph by Alex Boerner
Chamberlain knows them all by name, knows their wives, and has their numbers on her cell so she can call to check in if someone doesn’t show up for a few days. “Some of these people, they become family,” she says.
Having grown up in Creedmoor, the next town over, Chamberlain is familiar with the ways of small-town life. Everyone knows everyone, and you always have someone to call if you need help. A few months ago, when Chamberlain’s riding lawn mower broke, one of her regulars took it home and brought it back the next day, fixed.
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A feeling of accomplishment is what keeps Chamberlain coming to the grill 10 to 12 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s certainly not the money. She says that she hasn’t taken a paycheck in six years. “Any extra I pay the help or put it back into the business,” she says. “The curse is the cure. I’m not making any money, and it’s hard work, but at the same time I’m gaining so much more. This is a sacred place for me. When I was struggling, I needed something that was just mine. By getting away and taking care of myself, it ended up making my marriage stronger.”
The grill — and its classic, home-cooked fare — has attracted devoted customers like Ollie “OC” Hayes, who also pitches in as a volunteer employee. photograph by Alex Boerner
OC sticks his head out on the back porch to ask Chamberlain if she needs anything. Now he’s wearing a crisp black apron with white letters announcing: “Mr. Good Lookin’ is Cookin’.” Besides being a regular customer, OC is an informal volunteer employee at the grill. He opens the gate every morning to let in early fishermen and sticks around till noon or so, refilling drinks, tidying up, and shooting the breeze with regulars and visitors.
“I was in a real bind one day because the woman who opened for me had quit,” Chamberlain remembers. “OC said, ‘I’m here every morning anyway. Want me to do it?’ We ended up slammed that day — he really saved me.” Chamberlain asked OC if he wanted to keep opening in exchange for free food, and he agreed. It’s been two years, and they both feel like they’re getting a good deal.
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The grill has been around since the 1960s, when the lake was impounded, and it’s had a few owners, each of whom gave the place its own flair. When Chamberlain took over, it was a hole-in-the-wall bait shop where a handful of locals would pop in to buy fishing worms — and pop right back out again. Now, it’s a place where people linger.
The grill serves simple, home-cooked food — cheesesteaks, grilled chicken wraps, chicken salad on a croissant. There’s a porch swing, a jukebox, Bible verses on the wall. Chamberlain rents out kayaks, paddleboats, and picnic shelters; sells fishing bait; and hosts bluegrass musicians every third Sunday.
“Let’s see … what else? I’ve got a few fishing rods people can rent if they’re here for lunch and decide they want to go fishing. There’s the arcade downstairs for the kids.” She laughs. “What do you need? I’ll wash clothes if someone needs it. This morning, a guy scratched his arm, and it was bleeding all over his shirt. I said, ‘Give it to me. I’ll clean it up.’ I just try to listen and see what people want. OC and Joe over there go dancing every Friday night, so we’re going to host our first dance under the stars next month. Anything people like to do — if you give them space to do it, then everyone else can enjoy it, too. I’m proud of making this a place where people want to come.”
Lakeside Grill at Lake Holt
1200 Lake Holt Road
Butner, NC 27509
(919) 575-3110
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