Do I look like the kind of girl who would get kicked out of the Elvis booth at the Arcade Restaurant?
Well, I am precisely that kind of girl. Memphis’ oldest café, the Arcade Restaurant was founded by Speros Zepatos in 1919 after immigrating from Cephalonia, Greece. The original wooden building held pot-bellied stoves that were used to cook the food that was served there. In 1925 the wooden structure was demolished and a new building was erected in the Greek revival style. Retail stores were added to create an “arcade” on the corner of South Main Street and G.E. Patterson Avenue. When Speros’ son Harry took ownership, he turned the Arcade Restaurant into the nostalgic 1950’s style diner that it is today. There are additional interesting bits of the diner’s history on their website, which you can read here.
I have been to the Arcade twice on my solo walkabouts. The first time, I had a grilled cheese sandwich with caramelized peppers and onions because I could not stomach the idea of the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich Elvis enjoyed at this historic diner. Meh. Overdue, cold, soggy. Still, a bucket list check. This joint has been featured in many movies, including Elizabethtown, The Client, The Firm, and Walk the Line, Mystery Train, My Blueberry Nights, Great Balls of Fire, Lovely by Surprise, and 21 Grams. I can imagine many historic photographs have been taken here as well over the years. It holds its ambiance, even if the native charm is a bit ticky-tacky and worn.
I gave the place another try on a day when the choice of seating was pretty much wide open. I spotted the famous “Elvis ate here” booth and a waitress at about the same time. I asked if I could sit there and she said of course, hon. She set me up with a menu, water, and silverware and zipped off to parts unknown. Taking a sip of my water, I saw another waitress heading my way. She was polite and apologetic when she asked me to vacate the booth as it had been reserved. Geeez, but ok.
I moved one booth away and ordered the spicy bacon jalapeno burger and potato salad, shown with the guacamole they did not in fact hold. At least it wasn’t slathered on the burger. As Frank’s Red Hot sauce dripped down my wrists I did not give a whimmy-diddle about not being able to eat that beefy masterpiece sitting in the Elvis booth.
I am not sure I would have ever thought of slapping sliced jalapenos, pickles, AND Frank’s Red Hot sauce on a cheeseburger with red onion, lettuce, and tomato, but boy howdy, I think they have something there. Spicy, tangy, sloppy YUMMM!! I took a chance on a belly ache with that combo but it never happened. Whew!
I wanted to see this A-list diner who had reserved the 1:00 slot at the coveted booth. I cleaned my plate. I waited. I sipped my water with lemon, scrolled on my phone, but no one ever came to sit in that spot. Or did they? Perhaps Elvis himself had made the reservation. He would have been behind me, and I didn’t feel the hairs on the back of my neck or the goosebumps rise, my usual signs of spirits in the vicinity. In any case, I do need to take Dan with me next time because he will LOVE that burger.

Afterwards, while waiting on the corner for the Groove On-Demand van, I overheard a conversation happening outside the Arcade. Renovations of the façade of the building have been something we have witnessed during our time in Memphis. A small group of people were discussing further renovations that would include the signage, with a focus on making sure it looks authentically vintage and exactly the same, which made me happy. I want to recognize it when we roll through this area in the future. When we flee the Bluff City, I will still want that burger. Good thing this girl learned how to cook way back when. I specialize in deciphering the ingredients and replicating what I have eaten when it hits me the right way. A Dan-grilled burger would knock this variation out of the park!
Next time, I will call ahead for an Elvis booth reservation and bring my gentle giant of a husband with me. Neither of us really care much for bananas, but he will back me up if they TAKE the reservation but do not HOLD the reservation, as happened in the famous Seinfeld scene. We have rolled that one out a time or two at registration desks populated by employees who may or may not get the reference.
Anyway, this is me just trying to get better about making blog posts. I have over 60 drafts parked. Shameful. It is what it is, and I yam what I yam, and this is all I have for today. Whether I post this one today or not, I did write TWO count ‘em TWO blog posts by noon on this very day. I think that is a very good start. If I post more than one in a day, one gets lost and no one ever sees it. I will stall a bit and fling it on up to the clouds tomorrow.
I truly appreciate those who can bother to push one more button on social media to find these posts, and also those who choose to subscribe and get your posts via email. Bless you, all!
Just a yippying and a skippying,
Brenda Cordray
The Desert Rose
Yeah having them in my email helps.
Elvis has left the building! 😜