“Hornets’ Restaurant: More Than Meets the Eye”
“Hey, are you going to Hornets’ tonight after the game?” This question always seems to be asked in the small town of Phelps on the day of any home sporting event. Hornets’ Restaurant, the gathering place of friends, families, students, and athletes of all ages, is located approximately 32.5 miles east of Pikeville, KY. Although this restaurant sits in the remote city that some refer to as the middle of nowhere, everyone who has ever passed through knows the name of Phelps’ favorite place where you can get a home cooked meal for a reasonable price. Hornets’ restaurant was built to serve food and beverages; however, as time passed it became a gathering place for celebrating victories.
Hornets’ restaurant was founded in 1976 by Virgie and Dean Harrison. Over the years the name has varied from Virgie’s Drive Inn to Jay’s Drive Inn. The restaurant has had many owners, but since 1991 the owners have been Vernon and Brenda Collins. This restaurant has fed everyone from the best of Phelps’ athletes to President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter. While many prestigious members of society have dined in this establishment, you would never believe it from the looks of the outside.
As you can imagine a building founded in 1976 would look a little run down. On…show more content… Not only will you find many of the jerseys from Phelps’ finest athletes displayed along with the year(s) they played, but you can also discover game winning footballs, basketballs, softballs and baseballs that fill up the empty shelves on the white walls. All of the sports memorabilia adds excitement and nostalgia to the square pile of bricks. The moment you step through the entrance your senses instantly come