A career as a restaurateur isn’t exactly what Tammy Hall had planned for herself. She pursued a career in kinesiology and health. But life takes you where it takes you, she said, and she and her husband John Hall have now owned and operated not one, not two, but three restaurants and love it!

“If you had told me when I was 20 years old that one day I would own restaurants, I would say. ‘Are you kidding me?’ But life takes you different paths, and I feel very fortunate,” Tammy said.

It all started with The Ranch House Diner in Columbus, Miss. Tammy said it was John’s idea to buy the restaurant. But being “owner” soon turned into “owner-operator” and Tammy ran the business.

When the Halls moved to Huntsville for John’s job, they had to leave The Ranch House Diner behind.

But it wasn’t long before the Halls found a new restaurant opportunity – or rather a new opportunity found them. While eating lunch one day at the Main Street Cafe in historic downtown Madison, John Hall heard that owner Cindy Sensenberger was looking for a new owner. Sensenberger opened the restaurant in 2000 in the former Madison City Hall building and ran it for 18 years.

“It was her baby and it was very hard for her to sell it and walk away from it,” Tammy said. “It was important that whoever came behind her did not change it. It has a very good customer base and good menu. I just wanted to come in and run it.”

Which is exactly what the Halls have done. The menu includes many traditional Southern comfort foods like chicken poppyseed casserole, cheesy meatloaf, and the most popular lunchtime choice – Poulet de Normandie, a New Orleans-inspired dish featuring chicken and cornbread stuffing, topped with mushroom sauce and cheese.

One change, however, is that Main Street Cafe is open for dinner. It was previously lunch only. The unique dinner menu however is rich with Southern favorites, from surf to turf to yard bird. One of the most popular dinnertime meals Tammy said is the New Orleans Seafood, a blackened red snapper with andouille cream sauce and blackened shrimp over red beans and rice. They also serve Low Country Shrimp & Grits.

The cafe experienced a small fire last summer, in June 2023. The restaurant had only minor damage but was closed seven weeks for clean up.

“The fire wasn’t bad,” Tammy said. “It didn’t hurt our kitchen or dining room. It could’ve been so much worse.”

This was great news for the restaurant and the community, as the building has historical significance, built in the mid-1950s as Madison City Hall, with the old jail cells still there and used as private dining spaces.

In January 2023, another restaurant opportunity presented itself. Tammy learned that the historic Lanier House, just a block away from Main Street Cafe, was available after having been used previously as a pilates studio.

“I looked at the layout and I thought there could be nothing better than to put a tea room here,” recalled Tammy, who described herself as a tea room connoisseur.

So in January of last year she opened the Lanier House Tea Room. Each month, Tammy, her 22-year-old daughter Raegan and two ladies with many years of experience cooking, baking and “making food look pretty,” craft a new menu, offering guests unique flavors in three courses, each with their own accompanying tea.

The aesthetics of the food, the tea and the atmosphere are a big part of what makes the Lanier House Tea Room so special. Guests are transported to a different place and time by the elegance and charm of fresh florals, ornate settees, linen, lace, and plush cushions. The experience is quite photo-worthy, including a selection of fancy tea room hats as photo props.

“People come to eat,” Tammy said, “but they truly come because they want to have unique dining experiences.”

The tea room has quickly become a favorite venue also for private events, especially bridal teas and baby showers, with its charming ambiance and exquisite menu.

“We’ve had an incredible response from Huntsville, Madison, Athens, even from as far as Birmingham, to do tea with us, and we just love it!”

Visit Lanier House Tea Room & Private Venue at 20 Martin Street in historic downtown Madison. Reservations are required.

Visit Main Street Cafe at 101 Main Street for lunch Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or for dinner Wednesday – Thursday 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. or Friday – Saturday 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.