Atlanta, GA

Server at Atlanta‘s Mary Mac’s Tea Room shares stories of waiting on former President Jimmy Carter

Published

10 months ago

January 7, 2025

Server at Atlanta‘s Mary Mac’s Tea Room shares stories of waiting on former President Jimmy Carter

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – For nearly 40 years, Marion Mims has served customers at Atlanta’s iconic Mary Mac’s Tea Room.

She has waited on a number of celebrities over the years, but none bigger than former President Jimmy Carter.

“When he came in and I waited on him, I almost started crying. I said I get a chance to wait on Jimmy Carter,” Mims said.

It’s a moment in time, Mims will not soon forget considering she waited on him many times. She remembers it like it was yesterday.

Mims said Carter would sit at a round table back in the day when it was in the middle of the Atlanta dining room next to The Carter Center mural on the wall.

“He loved it. He loved the picture,” Mims said.

Carter also loved to order the fried chicken and vegetable plate with a side of Southern hospitality.

“I put my hand on his shoulder, and I said what can I get you to drink baby. I called him baby. I call all my customer’s baby,” Mims said. “He loved that. He just smiled.”

Mims said all the servers wanted to wait on Carter when he came in and not just because he was a gentleman, but because he was a good tipper.

“I think the first time, I got $50, and the bill wasn’t that high, and I think one of the other servers got like $100 from him,” Mims said.

LIFE AND LEGACY OF JIMMY CARTER

Perhaps the real reason Carter loved to dine at Mary Mac’s was his special recipe for “Carter Custard,” which he gave the restaurant. And in his honor, it’s back on the menu this week only.

“It’s real peanuty, really, really peanuty,” Customer Crystal King said.

And just about as unique as Carter’s custard is on the menu at Mary Mac’s Tea Room are the number of photographs of the former president on the wall. He takes up more room than any other celebrity or dignitary and in one, he left a personal note.

“Thanks for putting the custard on the menu. This will be a great boost to my campaign. Love, Jimmy” the note dated February 1976 reads.

“He was really down to Earth, he was real down to Earth,” Mims said.

The Carter legacy will live on at Mary Mac’s and Mims is just grateful to have been a part of it.

“He’s really going to be missed. He’s really going to be missed,” Mims said.

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Public Schools should think twice before closing Dunbar Elementary

Published

2 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Press Room

Atlanta Public Schools should think twice before closing Dunbar Elementary

Opinion

Atlanta is investing in revitalizing neighborhoods like Mechanicsville. Closing Dunbar would undermine principles of equity and community.

Jared Hill, a second grade teacher at Dunbar Elementary School, leads students in the annual Storybook Character Parade. The parade features students and faculty dressed in costume. (File/AJC 2016)

By Jason Dozier – For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

1 hour ago

Editor’s Note: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is running a series of guest essays about APS Forward 2040, the long-range plan under discussion in Atlanta Public Schools to reshape its future. Here is another selection in these essays.

Paul L. Dunbar Elementary School is the heart of Mechanicsville — a refuge, a gathering place and a symbol of resilience for a community that has endured decades of disinvestment and displacement.

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Jason Dozier is a Paul L. Dunbar parent and represents District 4 on the Atlanta City Council. (Courtesy of Jason Dozier)

Safety, parental involvement risks

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Closing Dunbar would send the wrong message

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APS officials can look to master plan for solutions to keeping Dunbar open

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Atlanta, GA

YFN Lucci to perform at Hawks game, talks life after prison release

Published

21 hours ago

November 11, 2025

Press Room

YFN Lucci to perform at Hawks game, talks life after prison release

Arts & Entertainment

The Atlanta rapper will make his NBA halftime show debut next week when the Hawks host the Pistons.

At his welcome-home show at State Farm Arena in August, YFN Lucci performed a mix of fan favorites, collaborations and new songs to a packed crowd. (Courtesy of Scoot Holloway/State Farm Arena)

Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci will make his return to State Farm Arena, but as a halftime act instead of a headliner.

He’ll perform during halftime at the Atlanta Hawks game on Nov. 18, when the team plays against the Detroit Pistons. The appearance follows Lucci’s sold-out homecoming show at the venue in August.

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Rapper YFN Lucci (left) was joined by his four children at the end of his sold-out homecoming show at State Farm Arena in August. (Courtesy of Scoot Holloway/State Farm Arena)

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DeAsia is a music and culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and diverse communities, as well as how emerging social trends are being expressed through the lens of the Atlanta aesthetic. DeAsia’s work can be seen in Pitchfork, Essence, Teen Vogue, Elle and more.

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Atlanta, GA

Thousands of flights canceled over weekend as shutdown enters day 40

Published

2 days ago

November 10, 2025

Press Room

Thousands of flights canceled over weekend as shutdown enters day 40

ATLANTA – Travel headaches are piling up at the world’s busiest airport as the government shutdown stretches into another week.

What we know:

More than 800 flights into and out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were canceled over the weekend, according to FlightAware, while more than 1,500 were delayed. Officials say a shortage of air traffic controllers triggered the widespread disruptions.

To address the growing number of absences, the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to reduce flights at the nation’s 40 busiest airports. The cuts started at 4% last week, will increase to 6% on Tuesday, and are expected to reach 10% by Friday.

As of Monday afternoon, FlightAware reported more than 220 cancellations and over 300 delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Interantional Airport.

What they’re saying:

“Was supposed to fly out this morning at 10 a.m. that was canceled,” said frustrated traveler Jason Julio. He and his son have been trying to get home to New Jersey since Sunday.

“You book a trip to have a good time and make memories,” Julio said. “These are the last types of memories you want to have.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CNN that 18 of the 22 air traffic controllers scheduled to work in Atlanta on Saturday didn’t show up.

“As we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slow to a trickle, as everyone wants to travel to see their families,” he said.

SEE ALSO:

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association says the ongoing shutdown is to blame.

“Congress must act immediately and end the government shutdown, and ensure that all individuals who have not been paid during this prolonged closure receive their compensation,” said Nick Daniels, president of the union.

Even with the phased flight cuts, the weekend was chaotic at airports across the country because of staffing shortages and weather issues.

Rabbi Paula Mack Drill said the travel mess has even affected a group of female rabbis attending a retreat in Georgia.

“So far, at least a dozen of us have had to cancel because there was no way to get in from all around the country and internationally,” Drill said.

The Source: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, FlightAware, and the FAA provided details for this article. FOX News, FOX Business, and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International AirportPoliticsNewsTravelTravel NewsTransportation

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