Paula Deen's renowned Savannah restaurant, responsible for catapulting her to Food Network stardom, unexpectedly shuts down.
Paula Deen, the former Food Network star, announced the closure of her famous Savannah restaurant, The Lady & Sons, on July 31, 2025. The closure also included The Chicken Box, which offered takeout lunches behind the main restaurant.
The closure was announced on Deen's website and social media accounts, but no specific reason for the shutdown was provided. Signs at the front entrance of the closed restaurant read, "It is with heavy hearts and tremendous gratitude that we announce that we have retired and closed."
The Lady & Sons, upon its opening in 1996, soon had lines out the door and served approximately 1,100 diners per day at the height of Deen's popularity. A USA Today food critic awarded The Lady & Sons his "meal of the year" in 1999. Loyal fans continued to visit The Lady & Sons long after the cancellation of Paula's Home Cooking on the Food Network in 2013.
Martin Rowe, who works downtown across from Deen's restaurant, stated that business seemed to be going strong until it closed. Adrienne Morton and her family, visiting Savannah from Cincinnati, had reservations at Deen's restaurant for 5:45 p.m. on the day of closure but received a text message canceling their reservation.
Paula Deen ran The Lady & Sons restaurant with her two sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen, for nearly three decades. Deen also posts cooking videos to a YouTube channel that has more than 520,000 subscribers.
Deen has returned to television on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," on chef Gordon Ramsay's Fox show "MasterChef: Legends," and on Fox Nation, which began streaming "At Home With Paula Deen" in 2020. Paula Deen's four restaurants outside Savannah will remain open, located in Nashville, Pigeon Forge (Tennessee), Myrtle Beach (South Carolina), and Branson (Missouri).
The closure of The Lady & Sons and The Chicken Box marks the end of an era in Savannah's culinary scene. Deen expressed gratitude for the memories, customers, and staff over the past 36 years but did not elaborate further. The focus now shifts to the four remaining Paula Deen's Family Kitchen locations outside of Savannah in Tennessee, Missouri, and South Carolina.
[1] The Savannah Morning News
[2] WSB-TV
[3] The Georgia Star News
[4] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
[1] With the closure of The Lady & Sons restaurant, a staple in Savannah's entertainment and lifestyle scene, media outlets such as The Savannah Morning News are covering the story extensively.
[2] The surprising closure of Paula Deen's famous restaurant, The Lady & Sons, has sparked discussions on the local food-and-drink business scene, with WSB-TV providing the latest updates.
[3] In a move that hassent ripples through Savannah's media, entertainment, and celebrity circles, Paula Deen has announced the closure of her famous restaurant, The Lady & Sons. The Georgia Star News is providing detailed coverage on this significant development.
[4] Beyond the impact on Savannah's culinary scene, the closure of The Lady & Sons also signifies a change in the city's celebrity-driven tourism landscape. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is sharing expert analysis on these broader implications.
