National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day was March 29. We asked you what your favorite local mom and pop restaurants + small retail stores were in the region.

Your responses were great + we learned about a few new businesses.

Our criteria was that a “mom and pop” needed to be:

Independently-owned, family-controlled
Maintain a minimum amount of employees
Have a smaller business volume than most places
Not franchised

Here were some of your suggestions + comments. Maybe you’ll find a new business to check out:

Restaurants

517 Subs | 1238 Taft Hwy.

“Russ and Sara Holmes own it, run it, and faithfully employ hard working people! Great people, great sandwich shop!” — Judith W.

Bea’s Restaurant | 4500 Dodds Ave.

“The food is delicious, the price is good, the staff are very nice & friendly. Oh but that fried chicken!! You must go there! <3 :)” — @SleeplessAquarius

Olive Branch | 3992 Ringgold Rd.

“Of course Olive Branch tops my list. Not only is the food terrific, they are just very nice people AND they have a diverse staff.” — Betsy A.

Hungry House | 4457 Highway 58

“Cindy does great breakfasts, grilled sandwiches, fries & tots, hot plates, etc… and I give a special shout out to the best weekend evening grill master, Rick! His chop steak with peppers and onions along with real home fries are my go-to Friday night dinner. “ — Andrea P.

Cashew | 149 River St.

“...best vegan lunch and the most awesome bakery items. The cookies are to die for and the cakes are gorgeous!!” — Susan H.

Richard’s Restaurant | 906 Lafayette St. (Ringgold)

“We love Richard's in downtown Ringgold. Good food and good people. Clean.“ — Linda B.

Nick’s Deli and Marketplace | 5149 Hixson Pike

“Delicious.” — Karla P.

Mimi’s Deli | 5023 Hixson Pike

“This place is truly a family and is actually run by a family. They are always so welcoming and so caring. They truly make the best sandwiches in town and even cater to my picky food needs. If you think of a creation they will not hesitate to make it for you. I wish all of Chattanooga knew how amazing of a place Mimi’s is.” — Holli C.

“Jeff and Liz have great Christian values, have maintained a 100 on the health dept inspections, and happen to offer gluten-free options. Definite family vibe. Oh, from time to time they run Groupons!” — Beth R.

Retail

Mountain Memories Shop | 906 S. Scenic Highway

“Family owned for 91 yrs … quilts, tee shirts (family designed and printed), fudge … relics, pottery. Owned by the granddaughter of Leo Lambert, Jeanne Whisler Crawford.” — Jeanne C.

Locals Only | 1421 Market St.

“Locals Only is a great shop for finding local and Chattanooga branded products. I did all my holiday shopping there for family who don’t live here. They made it very easy with pre-made gift boxes.” — Katherine W.

Tangerina’s | 157 River St.

“An aunt and niece owned art studio.” — Nicole G.

Pruett’s Signal Mountain Market | 1210 Taft Highway

“Pruett’s market on Signal Mountain! With the renovated porch and deli, it has become a community hub. Plus, they have the freshest meat and seafood.” — Ashley C.

Copy Connection | 4830 TN-58 #124

“Copy Connection on Highway 58. Husband and Wife duo that I have been using for almost 20 years.” — Cynthia B.

Hemp House | 521 Tremont St.

“They have hemp and CBD products sourced in Tennessee. Great staff with tons of knowledge.” — Kasey M.

Island Cove Marina | 6667 TN-58

“Incredibly friendly service and staff and have maintained a strong place in the Chattanooga boating and fishing community despite a big-box store on I-75.” — Ryan R.

Poll

(function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src='https://embed.playbuzz.com/sdk.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}(document,'script','playbuzz-sdk'));