By Kevin Howell
Kim Babcock started working in her grandparents’ truck-stop diner in Hastings, Michigan, when she was 13 years old.
After moving to the Ludington area and gaining hospitality experience at a local hospital, she has finally made a wish come true.
Babcock is the owner of her own restaurant, The Jolly Plate, on U.S. Highway 31, a few miles north of Scottville.
“My first experience with restaurant work was with my grandparents; they owned a restaurant and, when I was 13, I used to wait tables,” Babcock said.
“I did that for two or three summers.”
From there she worked as a dietary department supervisor in a hospital kitchen, which gave Babcock food service experience.
“I’ve always just wanted to start my own restaurant,” she explained.
The opportunity came up two years ago when she bought the former Steak and Egger restaurant on U.S.-31, refurbished the building inside and outside, and renamed it The Jolly Plate.
“The people that owned this place before me, Larry and Bunny Williams, had it for 11 years,” Babcock said. Before that, it was place called Gingers, a bar/restaurant.”
The building had been for sale for quite a while and needed work. Babcock said she liked the large parking area and that she could live on site.
“It’s still a work in progress, and we want to put pizza in here, a patio outside,” she said.
The name Jolly Plate came from family members and was suggested by son-in-law Eric Jensen, of Hart.
“My mother’s last name was Jolly and my grandmother who owned the restaurant (I worked at) was a Jolly, so I just thought that should be the name of the restaurant,” Babcock said, adding, “My family got a kick out of it.”
The name is apropos. Billing itself as “Great Food and Jolly Folks,” the restaurant’s employees offer a friendly greeting and always seem to be in a cheerful mood as they serve their customers.
The interior is quaint, with a hand-painted mural on one wall and curious curios around the large, well-spaced seating area. Outside, several picnic tables offer seating in front of the building.
The food is tasty, too, with an assortment of omelets and sandwiches, and several dishes named after relatives.
“My daughter is the one who developed the menu, and we just decided to have a little fun with it,” Babcock said. “We have the Jolly Plate (two eggs, choice of meat, hash brown or American fries), the Jollier Plate (three eggs, two meats), and the Clydeburger. I had an Uncle Clyde and he was quite a character, so we better have a Clydeburger on there,” Babcock said.
Homemade “hits” include the Belgian waffle, corned beef hash and pot roast hash.
Babcock hopes to obtain a beer and wine license to complement the pizza she plans on serving at a future date.
The Jolly Plate is open 7 a.m.-2 p.m. for breakfast and lunch and is located at 2516 North US-31.
Kevin Howell is a transplanted freelance writer from Indiana currently residing in Mason County. He loves the Michigan woods, lakes, people and, especially, Michigan craft beers – not necessarily in that order. Reach him at kevin@ytci.com.
