Steak or buffet? It’s a tough call every day at this popular Berea restaurant
By Matt WickstromContributing writer
One Berea area restaurant is drawing in customers with a mighty buffet, mouth-watering steaks and more.
The Smokehouse Grill & Buffet, 359 Peggy Flat Rd, was opened in March 2008 by lifelong Berea natives Terry and Patty Cheeks.
Terry has been working in the restaurant business for nearly four decades dating back to his first job working at Cliff Hagan’s Ribeye when he was 14.
After spending over a decade there he moved on to a gig at Columbia’s Steakhouse in Lexington. When owner Greg Penn added a location in Berea in 1999 Terry helped to get it going.
Following its closure in 2004 Terry went to work in construction for a brief time before re-entering the restaurant industry in 2008 with the launch of the Smokehouse Grill in the former Columbia’s location.
A Steak entree with loaded baked potato, bread and fried pickles from Smokehouse Grill and Buffet in Berea, March 29, 2022. Marcus Dorsey mdorsey@herald-leader.com
Smokehouse Grill menu
Much like Terry’s previous employers in Columbia’s and Cliff Hagan’s, the family-owned Smokehouse Grill features delicious steak along with fried hamburgers, green tomatoes, chicken smothered in gravy, frog legs, breakfast all day and a buffet that changes daily.
“There’s not many places you can go to in Berea and get a nice steak with mushrooms, onions and a baked potato,” said Terry Cheeks. “We try to serve up convenience by having a lot of variety in our menu without sacrificing quality.”
A Steak entree with loaded baked potato from Smokehouse Grill and Buffet in Berea, March 29, 2022. Marcus Dorsey mdorsey@herald-leader.com
While its steaks are top notch, so is the buffet. Serving up fish and fried chicken daily, the buffet also switches out home-style ribs, frog legs, hamburger steaks, barbecue chicken, meatloaf, and pork roast depending on the day accompanied by all the home-style sides you could imagine. After operating with staff serving customers throughout the height of the COVID-19 pandemic the Smokehouse has since returned its buffet to self-serve.
Despite the buffet accounting for 75 percent of the restaurant’s sales in recent years, Terry says he’s been re-working the menu to entice more people to purchase entrees instead of the buffet. This is a push that started pre-pandemic and has already seen a shift to a near 50/50 split between buffet and entree sales.
Buffet at Smokehouse Grill and Buffet in Berea has daily specials as well as a lineup of country sides including greens, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and corn. Marcus Dorsey mdorsey@herald-leader.com
Green beans served on a buffet within Smokehouse Grill and Buffet in Berea, March 29, 2022. Marcus Dorsey mdorsey@herald-leader.com
“It’s tougher on the cooks, but better on the profits,” said Terry Cheeks. “Expanding the menu away from the buffet has helped to push my creativity in the kitchen as I look for new ideas to bring customers in.”
Through all the menu and procedural changes the Smokehouse Grill has continued to be successful. According to Terry, the business has set several daily sales records in recent months and is, on average, doing better now than it was before COVID-19.
The Smokehouse Grill and Buffet in Berea has daily specials on the buffet that includes frog legs and meatloaf, plus a menu of entrees. Marcus Dorsey mdorsey@herald-leader.com
“We’re doing sales numbers now that are even better than they were before the pandemic,” said Terry Cheeks. “We always try to do right by our customers, so we feel very blessed by how much they have and continue to support us.”
Matt Wickstrom is a freelancer covering food, music and more. You can follow him on Instagram at @WickstromWrites.
Smokehouse Grill and Buffet in Berea is open seven days a week. Marcus Dorsey mdorsey@herald-leader.com
