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Story By Tedde Harden | Photos By Riaz Mesbah

Food is about so much more than just eating; it’s an exercise in cultural anthropology. To fully understand food we must study the rituals and sanctuaries connected to it. Shake Rag Reed’s, in the historic Shake Rag district, protects the cultural heritage of Bowling Green while serving up scrumptious meals and great community. At College Street and 3rd Avenue, Shake Rag Reed’s is the first of the many distinctively Bowling Green eateries that Coffee + Cigarettes will explore in an attempt to chronicle the underside of “greasy spoon” restaurants in town.

Written on a box nest to the register is “Take a penny Leave a penny Have a nice day!” This is as close to an official philosophy as you could get for the restaurant. If you’re not having a good day by the time you leave Shake Rag, you’ve missed the point of coming in the first place.

It is comforting to think that we are different from the many generations of people who came before us. Unfortunately this feeling of comfort is a fabrication of our dangerously mis-wired brains; we live each schizophrenic day bouncing from one distraction to another trying to destroy the status quo of our forefathers so that we may build up our own. Mind you, our status quo will be less rigid and confining, certainly more suited to a modern sensitivity and sensibility.

There are places, however, that exist in today’s post-modern world that still capture the spark of a status quo to stubborn to surrender. These are the places where people gather in communion with one another and share food, drink, and revelry. The places where time stops and the status quo is embraced. Shake Rag Reed’s is just such an establishment. Walking through door, you’ll feel like you’ve just came home; with pool tables, a fully stocked kitchen, and friendly staff, Reed’s is always ready to serve. Reed the congenial owner is never far from his restaurant either, always being concerned with the experience of his beloved guests. Say hello, he would love to talk to you.

Cathy Baker, an eleven year veteran of the wait staff at Shake Rag, takes a break from serving to chat with regulars Bennett
Gatewood and his friend.

If you want to stop by for breakfast you have to try the hash brown omelet. This delicacy comes with hash browns, cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and whatever else the cook can scrounge up. Don’t forget to order some eggs with that, they will make it sublime. If the hunger bug bites you around lunch, try the patty melt with tater tots. The melted cheese oozes from between two toasty pieces of bread that form the outer shell of the patty melt, making this sandwich both incredibly tasty and horribly messy. Without a doubt, this is the number one meal at Shake Rag’s. When shuffling into Shake Rag’s after dark, order up one of the evening entrée specials (buy one get one free). BBQ served on Tuesday is always a great choice. An anytime treat is corn nuggets, these golden brown nuggets of ambrosia will satisfy any and all, they make a great BBQ side also. No excuses, all of this great food can be purchased for little more than the cost of fast food; so treat yourself.

Come in, sit down, enjoy a cup of coffee or a lively conversation and most importantly, try some of Bowling Green’s best home-style cooking. If you miss your mom, are too lazy to cook for yourself or can’t find a clean plate in your kitchen, then let Reed treat you to a truly hidden jewel of Bowling Green. Reed’s is open six days a week from: 5:00 am – 8:30 pm Monday through Saturday. Soon though, he will be opening on Sunday afternoons. To kick off his new hours Reed is throwing a WKU Day party on Saturday, October Third from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am. There will be a $2 Buffet to keep you full and a pool and card tournament to keep you entertained. Help Reed Kick off a new era in the history of Shake Rag!