“What’s so great about The Four Way is on any given day, we’ll have preachers and politicians sitting down in one place.”
So says Jerry Thompson, who married into The Four Way family. His wife, Patrice, owns the restaurant, and Thompson’s pride in the place glows on his face. His eyes light up when he remembers the famous actors, politicians, and religious leaders who have tasted the fried catfish and collard greens at the much-loved restaurant located in the middle of Soulsville, U.S.A.
Thompson lists off a few of the more famous people who’ve stopped by the Four Way to eat: the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Elvis. He laughs as he tells the story of rapper Drake calling up his father-in-law to ask his permission to film a music video at The Four Way.
It was Thompson’s late father-in-law, Willie Earl Bates, who bought a shoe shop next to The Four Way and expanded the restaurant around 18 years ago.
“Right where you’re standing, in the entrance of the restaurant, used to be the only part of it. Before the place was expanded, the main entrance was back where the kitchen is,” Thompson says, pointing to where half-a-dozen women are busy cooking. “So at one point, Al Sharpton was walking right through that kitchen to get into the restaurant.”
