By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Darley’s opened in a big way last Friday. The new business replaces the popular Bayso’s Sports Pub, which the new owners had closed down to renovate and rebrand. Dewey Smith, Charletta Smith, and Harley Prater used that down time to good effect, and the new paint had scarcely dried before customers eagerly filed past the new signage, along the new entrance, to enjoy old favorites and new offerings destined to become old favorites.
“It was a really big day for us,” owner Dewey Smith said of Friday’s grand opening. “Super busy, and that was great.”
Smith said there were a few minor hiccups during the opening, but nothing he and his crew weren’t able to handle. The main thing, he said, was that all the customers seemed to be happy and really enjoyed themselves.
“Everyone was talking about how good the food was,” Smith said, gratefully. “So, I would definitely call it a success.”
The day began with a good crowd, Smith said, and by 8 p.m. Darley’s was packed.
“We might not have as many people coming through ‘after the new wears off,’ but it looks like we are going to have busy evenings,” Smith said. “We just want to give people not only what they have always enjoyed, but also pay attention to the new things that people ask for and hopefully we can give them some of those things too.”
Smith said he made it a point to stop by the tables and ask people how everything was, and was pleased to hear things like “thank hamburger was great” and “that catfish was delicious” – all things a pub owner likes to hear. With no complaints and a lot of compliments, Smith said he and his co-owners knew they were on the right track. And to top it off, Smith said the only complaint he heard at all was that the portions were too big.
“If you are going to get a complaint, then ‘too big’ is a good one,” Smith laughed. “But seriously, we don’t want anyone to not get full. That’s the worst thing if you leave a restaurant and you’re still hungry.”
The hours for Darley’s are Monday through Thursday from 11am to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am until 1 am, and Sunday from 12pm to 10 pm.
“We are doing call in orders,” Smith said. “The number to call in is 606-474-7727. And eventually we will implement things like DoorDash. We just want to get settled in and get the new staff trained. We want to be ready to handle that influx and make it easy for people to get their food the way they want it.”
“Thank you so much for all the support you have shown us,” Smith said to all the customers who made the grand opening such a success. “We really appreciate everyone who came out, and we look forward to seeing everyone again in the near future.”
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
