By Crystal McGough, Associate Editor
SPRINGVILLE – Top Notch Catering has become a well-known name in Birmingham and surrounding areas since they opened in Leeds 16 years ago.
The popular lunch catering business has now turned a new page, opening a meat-and-three café in Springville. Top Notch Café and Catering officially opened at the former location of the Springville Café, located at 6204 Main Street, on Monday, April 3, 2023. Serving only lunch, their business hours are Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We started Top Notch Catering in Leeds on a shoestring and a prayer, God’s grace and a whole lot of miracles,” owner Tommy Jones said. “We really didn’t have anything; we just started a little catering company and it grew a little each year.”
Prior to 2020, a lot of Top Notch’s business revolved around corporate catering, but when Covid hit and employees began working remotely, that side of the business came to a sudden halt.
“There was no one to serve lunch to, so we were kind of forced out of our catering kitchen,” Jones said. “We just started driving around looking for a place to rebound. We were on a drive, ended up in Springville, and saw that the café was up for sale. The price was right and that was it; we bought it.”
For Jones, owning a small lunch-focused restaurant has been a lifelong dream.
“I’ve been in food my whole life,” he said. “I’ve waited tables, I’ve done white tablecloth, I’ve done barbecue. I’ve slung the hash and I’ve dropped the foie gras. I’ve served both clienteles, as far as the quality of food. … This came available, and we hopped on it, so I finally got my lunch spot!”
Top Notch Café and Catering is a traditional Southern meat-and-three, serving staple items such as casseroles, fried chicken, hamburger steak, greens, potatoes and more. Their signature dish, however, is their Pecan Chicken. For dessert, Top Notch offers homemade cobblers, bread pudding and banana pudding.
While Jones said he is not planning to get back into catering corporate lunches on weekdays, Top Notch’s catering services will still be available for weddings and other weekend events.
“There’s still a lot of catering on the table,” he said. “I’ll continue to take weddings … anybody that needs any kind of weekend catering, if it falls in the parameters of what we do, we’ll do that.”
Top Notch Café and Catering will be accepting call in orders for lunch, as well. To order, call the café at 205-577-9431.
For more information, including pictures and reviews, visit their Facebook or website at www.topnotchcateringonline.com.
“With 16 years of catering experience, we now hope to bring our love of food, family, and service to this community,” a post on Top Notch’s Facebook page says. “We look forward to growing in this community and becoming a part of your family!”