by Deena Cheek • photos by Paul Leavy
Covington’s manager Amy Ferrell never wanted to eat dinner at a friend’s house growing up. She would hope that her mom would magically show up and cater.
“My friend’s moms were all skinny. They couldn’t cook,” Amy says.
In January 1992, Amy’s parents, Stanley and Sue Cox, decided to leave the hotel business after more than 20 years to try their taste for catering.
“They wanted to serve the Valdosta community real food made by real people — nothing out of a can,” Amy says.
They picked the downtown location because of the parking lot and proximity to the highway. But it was lonely downtown with nearly no neighbors except one, King’s Grill. But now, even with restaurants on every side, Covington’s still seems to get plenty of food out the door and plenty of patrons through them.
“It takes a village to run this place,” Amy says. “The restaurant business is easy; it’s catering that’s tough.”
Covington’s is both a restaurant and a catering business, but it doesn’t stop there. Three years ago, Stanley and Sue Cox opened another restaurant right next door, 306 North. It opened with the goal to offer “informal fine dining southern-style with a twist.” Its opening had another rather unique reason, as well.
“We already had the building there, and we had such great employees here who needed more hours. We didn’t want to lose them,” Amy says. “So, we opened 306 North to keep them.”
Covington’s owners have made it clear that hard work and a caring attitude keeps them both employees and in business. Sue Cox’s family recipes, such as the everyday best-seller chicken salad plate, fill the majority of menu space. Stanley Cox has been known to show up at 4 a.m. to bake and cook for the workday ahead. Amy says she has days when she has to run the front end and wait tables just to keep things running smoothly during a hectic lunch rush. Amy has been a significant part of her parents’ business since high school.
“I got sucked in the chaotic, fast-paced atmosphere up here,” she says. “I’m ruined for an office job.”
When the Coxes do take a day off from the daily rush of Covington’s, they like to let someone else do the cooking. They support other local restaurant owners wherever they go.
“We’re all friends in the community, here to support each other,” Amy says.
Covington’s Fast Facts
• Covington’s is located at 310 North Patterson Street in Historic Downtown Valdosta.
• Covington’s is open for lunch only from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
• Covington’s has 15 full-time employees, 25 part-time employees and seven catering trucks.
• Covington’s can be found on the World Wide Web at www.covingtonscatering.com.
• Covington’s offers a host of daily specials.
On the Menu
• Chicken Salad Plate, featuring a scoop of chicken salad, four fresh fruits and congealed salad.
• Lasagna, served with a house salad.
• Chicken Artichoke Lavosh.
