Columbus native says his new off-the-beaten-path restaurant is a ‘hidden treasure’
Royal Westbrooks and his family hosted many cookouts in Columbus before people asked them to start selling their fried turkeys for the holidays.
Soon after, Westbrooks and his family were also catering events.
He and his brother, Jeff, talked about growing the business in 2021. Soon after Westbrooks purchased a grill. The brothers started selling plates on the side of Fort Benning Road on the weekends.
Word of mouth kept the business going, but Westbrooks wanted more. While grilling outside was okay, he wanted to get out of the elements of nature and have more space to prepare food. Westbrooks wanted a brick and mortar restaurant.
“I just got to the point where I was like I don’t like being on the side of the road,” he said.
Westbrooks opened his new restaurant, The Hidden Grill, this past weekend, and wants it to be a place where community members can feel at home while enjoying his family’s recipe.
The grand opening on Sept. 9 featured a performance by Coop Da Comedian along with a three-wing chicken dinner special.
The restaurant at 3022 Clarabelle St. will be open every day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Westbrooks said, and will be family run and operated. Eventually, he hopes to hire more employees.
“My goal is to hire some of these youth out the neighborhood to give them something to do,” he said. “I feel like there’s nothing really in Columbus for the youth to do.”
Ox tails and rib plates
The Hidden Grill focuses on Southern cuisine, Westbrooks said, that primarily comes from recipes passed down through his family.
His aunt was a chef before she died, he said, and he grew up learning how to cook from her.
“I was in the kitchen at (age) 5 with her,” Westbrooks said. “And I just kind of picked up on everything that she was doing and showing me. It just kind of stuck with me and grew with me.”
Customers can order chicken dinners, meatloaf, oxtails and rib plates. Westbrooks’ priority is to provide people with their money’s worth of good, quality food.
“I think about if I was going somewhere to pay my money, I would want it to be awesome,” he said.
The Hidden Grill has had a limited soft opening already, Westbrooks said, where he was able to get some feedback from local community members.
One woman returned a day after trying his food, and he was worried that she’d had a negative experience. But what she said was a nice surprise.
She had diabetes and normally isn’t able to eat out for fear of her blood sugar spiking.
“I don’t know what you did,” the customer told Westbrooks. “But my sugar is like 134.”
The experience made Westbrooks proud, he said, because he puts a lot of love into the food. He understands Southern food can often be very unhealthy, but his own mother’s health concerns led to him being more thoughtful about the ingredients he uses.
“(My mom) is a kidney patient,” Westbrooks said. “I try to help her and learn how to cook with her to make sure she stays healthy enough.”
‘I can make it anywhere’
He is happy to have watched the business grow in his hometown. Westbrooks also works as a full-time truck driver, but choosing to build a life in Columbus is something he is proud of.
“Most people get to a certain age, and they leave to try and grow,” Westbrooks said. “But I figure if I can make it here, I can make it anywhere.”
Westbrooks didn’t find the location for his new restaurant, he said, it found him.
He was driving past the building one day and saw a “For Sale” sign up on the building.
“I’m gonna call (the phone number),” Westbrooks told himself.
It took a couple of weeks, but he called the building’s former owner. The two moved forward.
“It’s not like a prime location,” he said. “But I think I’m gonna be alright.”
Since the restaurant was off the beaten path in Columbus, Westbrooks’ mother suggested a name with the word “hidden” in it. He realized that was the perfect name for the restaurant.
“I felt like that was an awesome name because it’s not on Victory Drive or Manchester Expressway or a main street,” Westbrooks said. “It’s like a hidden treasure.”
This story was originally published September 11, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
