The Story of Us: Uncle Mort’s Restaurant

Many Walker Countians fondly remember enjoying a hearty, king-sized breakfast at Uncle Mort’s Restaurant. Uncle Mort’s was a familiar icon for those traveling along Highway 78 East in Jasper in the 1970s and 1980s. Owned and operated by Morton and Jean Godfrey, the restaurant opened in 1972 and actually began as a meat business. When customers kept requesting sandwiches and biscuits, the Godfreys decided to build a small kitchen. As business grew, they continued to add on. 

Designed and built in the style of an old rustic plantation home, the restaurant had a well on one side and a log barn next door. Morton, who was from Cold Springs, had been a carpenter and did most of the work himself. 

The menu featured steaks and seafood, but Uncle Mort’s specialty was an all-day breakfast, consisting of eggs, bacon, sorghum syrup, and red-eye gravy. 

In the early 80s, the Pointe in Tyme Culinary Hall of Fame in Phoenix, Arizona, awarded Uncle Mort’s a gold medal and blue ribbon in the breakfast division out of 400 restaurants nationwide.

Sadly, the iconic building was destroyed by fire on August 1, 2008. It was never rebuilt and after 36 years of business, Uncle Mort’s Restaurant permanently closed its doors.