How an Alamo Restaurant Operator Found Calling and Community

For the operator of Alamo’s Bulldog Grill, running restaurants seems to run in the family.

Toria Coleman’s parents did not begin in the restaurant business either, as her father was an accountant and her mother was a homemaker. However, her father was dissatisfied with his work, so he opened a restaurant called Carter’s Fried Chicken in 1976, then a small franchise.

Coleman’s father would later strike out on his own and open The Depot out of an old train depot in McRae. Originally, The Depot began as an all-takeout business, but later expanded to include a “nearly world famous” noon buffet. He would operate the restaurant until his death in 1997, after which Coleman’s mother took over until the building later burned.

Having been effectively raised in the restaurant business, Coleman decided at a young age she would pursue a different career.

“Growing up, it was absolutely, 100 percent something I did not want to do,” said Coleman. “I wanted to go to ‘work’ work, come home and not worry about work.”

So, she took up a profession as a school teacher, which she held for 12 years before she decided “that wasn’t it.” She likened her pivot to the restaurant industry to how she also took after her mother’s love for antiques.

“I guess it’s kind of in your blood,” said Coleman. “It’s kind of the same thing with antiques. My mama had antiques; she had a little antique business. I wanted everything I had in my house to be brand new and all the drawers to work… Now, that’s all I want to do, is go antiquing. So, I think things are just in your makeup.”

Coleman took over the Bulldog Grill in 2019, although the restaurant has operated in Alamo for over 20 years. Many of the restaurant’s patrons have been coming to the restaurant for a long time, so Coleman is careful when making alterations to the menu.

“They like something different every now and then, but they still like normal too,” said Coleman. “I can’t go too far out of the box.”

The new operation’s offerings do have some differences to what came before, such as blue plate orders and more variety in dinner plates.

During the lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, Coleman began offering a variety of take-and-bake casseroles, which would then be delivered without contact to the customer’s home. Because of this strategy, the Bulldog Grill avoided shutting down during the lockdown period.

“That was a huge deal,” said Coleman. “I never had to shut down for COVID.”

According to Coleman, operating a restaurant is “the hardest work I’ve ever done,” being incredibly tiring despite her love for the work.

“It’s nonstop,” said Coleman. “When I go home, I’m still working. I’m still answering the phone.”

So, Coleman does not cook much throughout the weekdays anymore. She does cook on the weekends for the Bulldog Grill’s catering, which began two years ago and Coleman described as “booming.”

The hard work has paid off in a sense of normalcy and a connection to the local community. Many of Coleman’s customers are regulars with whom she has formed connections.

“They sit in the same spots,” said Coleman. “They know me, I know them.”

Coleman does not live in Alamo but instead 10 minutes away in Mcrae, her home of 50 years. However, she has formed a great deal of affection for the Alamo community in her time working in the Bulldog Grill.

“I love Alamo,” said Coleman. “I love the people. They have a great sense of community.”