Eating in
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First
Join the line
The queue forms just inside the door. At peak times it can reach the pavement, particularly on a Sunday, but it moves steadily — the kitchen is used to it. While you wait, read the board and look at what is in the pans.
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Then
Choose your meat
Tell the server which meat you want as you reach the start of the steam table. Some dishes — catfish, whiting, salmon croquettes — are cooked when ordered, so mention it early if you are pressed for time.
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Then
Pick your sides
Move along the line and call out your vegetables as you go. Most people take two or three. If you cannot decide, ask what is good today; you will get an honest answer.
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Then
Cornbread and drinks
One hot water or flat buttermilk cornbread comes with every meal. Extra is $1. Sweet tea, lemonade, Kool-Aid, coffee and sodas are at the end.
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Last
Pay and sit down
You pay at the register at the end of the line. Cash and cards both work; no checks. Find a table, or say “to go” at the start and it will be boxed instead.
Carry out, call ahead and delivery
Carry out
Say so when you order and everything goes into containers instead of onto a plate. A large proportion of what leaves this kitchen goes out in a box.
Call-in orders
Ring 615-780-9900 and we will have it ready for collection. Useful if you are on a short lunch break or ordering for several people at the office.
Delivery apps
Silver Sands has appeared on third-party delivery services. Availability changes, so check your app — ordering direct is always cheaper for you and better for us.
Big order? Anything beyond a handful of plates should go through catering — three days’ notice, half down as a deposit, and we will size it properly for your headcount.
When to come
6:30 – 8:00am (Tue–Fri). Breakfast, and the quietest, quickest stretch of the day. Trades, hospital shifts and market people. Almost no wait.
8:00 – 10:30am (Tue–Fri). Still breakfast, gradually filling. A good window if you want to sit and eat without rushing.
11:00am – 1:00pm (Tue–Fri). The lunch rush. Busiest and best-stocked. Expect a queue; expect it to move.
1:00 – 2:30pm (Tue–Fri). Winding down. Quieter, but popular dishes may already be gone.
11:00am – 3:00pm (Sunday). Sunday dinner, and the single busiest service of the week. Come early or come prepared to wait. It is worth it.
Closed Monday and Saturday.
Advice for newcomers
Come hungry. Portions here are generous by any standard. Regulars routinely leave with a second meal in a container.
Ask questions. Nobody minds. If you do not know what hog maws are or whether the greens are cooked with pork, ask at the counter — the staff answer this several times a day and are used to it.
Have your order roughly in mind. The line moves, and it is easier for everyone if you have narrowed it down before you reach the pans. Reading the day’s menu beforehand helps.
Bring a card or cash. Both are fine. Checks are not.
Do not skip the cornbread. Hot water cornbread is the thing people remember, and it comes with the plate.