By JAMES LUMPKIN – Variety Writer
At the corner of East Broad Street and Wilkerson Street stands Weaver D’s, a small brick building that has seen generations of Athenians pass through its doors.
Lines reach onto the sidewalk, filled with customers wanting to get a taste of the restaurant’s famous soul food. As customers place their orders at the counter, the restaurant’s iconic owner Dexter Weaver chants his signature phrase, “Automatic!”
Few would suspect that a restaurant this bustling was a few slow business days away from ending its 26-year existence.
“It just got to the point where we just couldn’t pay our bills,” Weaver said.
Before opening his restaurant, Weaver originally ran a catering business from his home, along with other ventures such as a peanut business run out of an ice cream truck.
“It started there, right out of my home. One Friday a group came and told me this location was available, so I came by and asked if I could buy it,” Weaver said.
Weaver D’s opened on May 1, 1986. After its debut, the business quickly gained popularity with Athenians for its traditional southern food and hospitality. Among these early fans were members of the local rock band R.E.M.
R.E.M. was so fond of the restaurant, they adopted Weaver D’s motto, “Automatic for the People,” as the title of their eighth studio album. The album was later nominated for a Grammy in 1994.
“We became famous from it,” Weaver said.
In the wake of the R.E.M. album, Weaver D’s began shipping everything from peanuts to t-shirts worldwide to promote the business. They even shipped food across state lines, most notably to iconic Athens band The B-52’s in Texas.
The business became so renowned that Weaver even hired a publicist.
“Everyone was just busy. We had a ‘1-800’ number,” Weaver said, “The mail man was coming to the door with just boxes of mail from everywhere.”
In addition to managing his prominent and hectic business, Weaver authored a book titled Automatic Y’all: Weaver D’s Guide to the Soul in 1999, which was a guide to Weaver’s personal philosophy, “Automatic for the people.”
However, despite its worldwide fame, Weaver D’s hit troubled times in 2010. The line of patrons trailing out the door was replaced with only a handful of dedicated customers.
“It just gradually declined. The bottom didn’t fall out just then; it took a while,” Weaver said.
Weaver believes that the country’s economic downturn is partially to blame for the lack of business.
“Energy prices went up, food prices went up,” Weaver said. “Unemployment was high and it had a downward effect.”
Weaver feels a larger blow to business came from a loss of notoriety among University of Georgia students who were perhaps too young to know the legend of the establishment and its history.
“One group graduated and another group would come along that might not even know about (the restaurant),” Weaver said.
After two years of slow business, the last days of September were so difficult for the restaurant Weaver considered shutting down his eatery permanently.
“We were at the end of our road when they came to cut the gas off (in late September) I had been fighting and trying to swim, I knew that was the final straw,” Weaver said. “I was using all the resources I had, but we ran through all of it.”
Before he closed his doors for the last time, Weaver alerted the local press he may no longer be in business. After the Athens Banner-Herald published an article on Oct. 1, word quickly spread of his predicament.
“Channel 2, Channel 5 and Channel 11 have been out here,” Weaver said, “We have also been in USA Today and we’ve also been in The New York Times.”
Articles from publications including Huffington Post, New York Magazine and Washington Times sparked interest in Weaver D’s across the nation and in the local community. As a result, Weaver feels Athens residents flocked to the iconic restaurant to show support.
“Once (people) found out a lot came to my aid.” Weaver said. “We’ve been busy all day from 11 until 6, from the time I unlock the door. We’re really staying until 7 and 8 because people are steadily coming and we aren’t going to turn anyone away.”
To Athenians and students, including Clarke Central High School junior Jahkiem Ellison, Weaver D’s is more than just a place to get a quick bite to eat.
“It has a home feeling to it,” Ellison said. “It’s just like my grandmother’s cooking.”
In order to give extra support, some customers have gone beyond simply purchasing food from Weaver D’s.
“We’ve had a lot of donations and a lot of people giving extra on their tips and receipts. They’re trying to help us pay utilities and our other bills,” Weaver said. “I thank all of them for coming in here and helping us.”
Through the surge of goodwill and publicity, the business has once again attracted the attention of the music industry, particularly from the 80s hip-hop group Houdini.
“The group came and said they might have to put on a concert for us to help raise money,” Weaver said.
With renewed patronage, Weaver is hopeful his business will be able to continue to serve the food that he made famous, yet he is realistic about his prospects.
“We made our plea, we just have to be here working on quality food and quality service and hopefully we can get through it,” Weaver said.
Slider image by Porter McLeod
