Reginald Nelson, a Ruston, Louisiana native, is the owner of Nelson’s Soul Food Restaurant and Café that has recently opened in Grambling. It is comfortably located at 306 College Ave, across the street from Washington- Johnson complex.
The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. until Midnight. The menu includes burgers, salads, sandwiches and much more but they specialize in burgers and chicken salads.
Kassandra Merritt/The Gramblinite
Nelson’s Soul Food Restaurant owner Reginald Nelson, his daughter Kashenna Nelson (left) and cashier Kash Williams
pose as they await the arrival of customers.
On Saturdays and Sunday’s the café is open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. “On Sundays and Wednesdays, we plan to have different Soul Food entrees available,” said Nelson.
Nelson got his start in the kitchen as a young child, helping his grandmother prepare dinner. He made his first Thanksgiving dinner at the age of 12.
Starting next month the restaurant will open at 6 a.m. to offer an expanded breakfast which will include waffles, grits, bacon, eggs and sausage. Also, they plan to dedicate Wednesday evenings as karaoke night once business starts to pick up.
The establishment offers free Wi-Fi and there is an open lounge for customers to dine in and work on their assignments. “The business is doing pretty good.
The Grambling community has been very excepting and has welcomed me in with open arms,” said the owner, who is an alumni of Ruston High School’ class of 1985.
Nelson’s Restaurant is a family owned and operated establishment. Originally the restaurant was located in Ruston across the road from Lane Chapel Church.
During this time, his brother, Walter O’shea Goldsmith, owned the building of the restaurant, but when he died his children took over the business. Most people knew the restaurant to be named “No Legs” because Nelson had both of his legs amputated and is confined to a wheelchair.
The employees, including his daughter, Kashenna Nelson, a graduating senior at GSU, is always happy and ready to serve each customer. Their smiling faces are the first things you notice as you walk through the door.
“The food was amazing, I’ll definitely eat there again,” said Ashley Milton, a senior biology major from Dallas, Texas.
“The salad was very tasty and fresh,” said Shelby Gilliam, a senior music education major from Shreveport, Louisiana.
As some Grambling veterans know, restaurants don’t typically succeed in that building.
“I don’t know what they did to be unsuccessful, but my restaurant in Ruston was successful so I plan to keep it that way with this place,” said Nelson.
If you’re in the Grambling area, stop by Nelson’s Soul Food Restaurant and Café.