Cafeteria owner with no restaurant experience built a business approaching $5 million a year

Louis Squires bought equipment from a closing cafeteria in 2017 and opened Magnolia Room; by 2025 the restaurant's revenue approached nearly $5 million after reinvesting in equipment and focusing on scratch-made Southern food.

Louis Squires purchased equipment and staff from a long-running S&S cafeteria and opened Magnolia Room in Tucker, Georgia in 2017. He came from retail and consulting and had no prior experience running a restaurant. The first years were difficult and the business did not turn a profit for six years. Over time he replaced failing equipment and emphasized cooking from scratch, which changed operations and customer response. What is known: - In 2017 Squires acquired the S&S equipment and relocated it into an old dinner theater to start Magnolia Room. - He had no restaurant experience; his background included work in retail and running a consulting firm. - He paid $24,000 for used cooking and serving equipment, much of which later needed replacement due to failures. - The kitchen moved to fresher sourcing and cooks most items from scratch; the cafeteria ships fresh catfish from Mississippi twice weekly. - The restaurant serves up to 1,000–1,200 customers on a busy Sunday, and sales were up 18% year over year. The business approached nearly $5 million in annual revenue in 2025. - Squires said he often considered leaving but stayed because of the staff and the community built around the cafeteria. Summary: The decision to reinvest in reliable equipment and to preserve homemade Southern recipes helped stabilize operations and bring back regular customers while attracting new ones. Revenues and traffic rose as a result, with 2025 sales approaching nearly $5 million. Undetermined at this time.