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Editor’s Note: This feature originally ran in the Oct/Nov 2024 edition of the LaGrange Living magazine, a publication produced bi-monthly by the LaGrange Daily News. If you would like to pick up a copy of the LaGrange Living magazine, please visit our office at 115 Broad Ste 101.

Feature by: Jeff Moore

Serving up delicious meals in a relaxed, casual atmosphere has been a labor of love for the Bishop family over the past 21 years.

Opened by Tony Bishop in 2003, the Cart Barn Grill, now located at 625 Jefferson St., has racked up more than 20 LaGrange Daily News “Best Of” awards that are voted on by the community. These include four times as best restaurant, and five years in a row for both best seafood best burger.

Now owned by Tony’s son, Shawn Bishop, the key to their success lies in the family traditions he carries on at the Cart Barn Grill.

“We grind our own beef for our burgers every morning,” Bishop said. “We make everything from scratch every day. We do upscale seafood at night. We try to do dishes that you would find if you want to go out of town and go on vacation to go to the beach or something.”

Adding to the restaurant’s appeal are many recipes developed by Tony in his days working at the Clover that they continue to use today.

“We do still do a couple of things that my dad used to do at the old Clover,” he said. “We still do a couple of recipes that he used to do there.”

One of Tony’s recipes helped him achieve nationwide recognition.

Shawn said his father Tony was featured in a New York Times article for his chocolate mousse dessert.

The atmosphere of the Cart Barn remains just like his father Tony’s idea of what it should be like when he founded the restaurant.

“My dad wanted customers to achieve a fine dining experience in a casual atmosphere without all of the frills,” he said.

Shawn proudly talks about his dad, who garnered a two-star Michelin Guide chef rating. Michelin Guide’s website explains this means the chef “has a restaurant that serves excellent food in a unique way, and is considered worth a detour to visit.”

The restaurant menu holds on to some of these classics, but Shawn said he does change it frequently.

“We try to change it up a little bit every now and then not keeping the menu the same always,” he said.

Additionally, there are two daily specials for lunch each day.

“I don’t really know what I’m going to do until I get here that day,” Shawn said. “I just figure out what I’m going to run for the specials that day on top of our normal menu.”

Friday is not just the restaurant’s busiest day of the week, but one that always has a customer favorite as a special.

“We always do a ribeye steak sandwich on Fridays and people are crazy about the ribeye sandwich,” he said, adding that he believes it is this sandwich that helps bring so many in that day.

One change that Shawn has made is how they prepare the fresh seafood they have brought in twice a week.

“I make new changes often to the way we prepare the fish,” he explained.

Additionally, a customer favorite is the mixed fish sandwich that he has created using pieces that are left over because they’re not big enough for a dinner portion.

“We put it all together and cut it up and make a fresh fish sandwich the next day,” he added.

They try to serve entrees that customers would expect when they are away from home on vacation.

Shawn trained under his father when he came to work at the Cart Barn Grill after leaving the construction industry where he worked for 17 years. He finally got his chance to follow in his father’s footsteps after the economy went into decline.

“I went to work for my dad and trained with him for eight years,” he said.

Shawn said everybody who eats at the restaurant is like family to him and his family.

“I mean everybody knows everybody and they always comes back to the kitchen. Hugs are next,” he said, noting they always like the chance to talk to them because they’ve been serving their customers for so long.

Looking back

Tony Bishop was the chef at the Clover from 1976 to 1989, Shawn said, which is when he got those two Michelin Guide stars.

Tony left there and went to the country club, where he worked a few years before going to Clay’s Place.

“Clay’s place went out of business,” Shawn said, “So my dad bought the old driving range from Allen Doyle and was just going to do the driving range. And he was going to have like just a little sandwich shop, maybe do lunch. But people kept wanting him to do more.”

He said his father then ended up doing dinner and it just grew from there.

Tony and his brother Terry Bishop started the Cart Barn Grill together, throwing in the money to open the restaurant.

While they struggled for a while, Shawn said it finally caught on with the community.

“I came to work for my dad in 2010 and worked under him till 2018,” Shawn explained. “He retired and then I took over in 2019 and then he passed away three months later after he retired.”

The third generation is now working at the Cart Barn Grill. Shawn said his daughter Briana Morgan, oldest son Preston Bishop and younger son Cameron Bishop are all playing a role in the operation.

Shawn noted that he plans to retire in three years, leaving the children to carry on the business.

Helping the community

Shawn said the Cart Barn Grill doesn’t have a single focus on helping out LaGrange, Troup County and the region.

“I support just about every school in town,” he explained, noting he sponsors all of the athletic programs.

He also lends support to the Shriners, the Lions Club, plus the restaurant sponsors a lot of golf tournaments.

He also helps with the youth softball, baseball and football programs.

Shawn noted that he also supports various programs at LaGrange College and Callaway.

They also offer gift certificates for organizations as prizes in an effort to assist with their fundraising efforts.

Ordering and events

While the Cart Barn Grill doesn’t have a dedicated meeting room, Shawn said they host a lot of parties by setting up the group in a section of the restaurant.

A lot of the time, he said people rent out the entire restaurant for events such as Christmas parties and wedding rehearsals. For these, the Cart Barn Grill can provide a set menu, from the appetizer and salad, to the choice of two entrees and two desserts.

A lot of customers like their carryout service as well. Customers can simply call the restaurant at 706-884-3362. The menu is available online at cartbarngrill.top, but online orders are not accepted.

The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 5:30-8 p.m. and Friday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and 5:30-8:30 p.m. The Cart Barn Grill is closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday.