After discovering Hattie’s Restaurant, a taste of home was enough to relieve a bit of homesickness

“A friend brought me here after I had been complaining that I hadn’t had home-style jambalaya or fried chicken, and that was in 1999. There’s no question where to go at this point,” she said. “I just wish I was here to meet Hattie herself.”

George isn’t the only one who has fond memories of the restaurant. Owner Beth Alexander can remember going to Hattie’s as a child, and she even worked there while she was dating her now husband and co-owner, Jasper Alexander.

“I remember working there, and talking with Jasper about owning a restaurant ourselves one day. We always thought ‘wouldn’t it be nice to own a place just like this?’” she said.

In 2001, the Alexanders bought Hattie’s Restaurant and became only the third owners in its 70 years of business.

“We’ve kept most of the things the same, especially Hattie’s core menu, but we have also added our own additions as well,” Beth Alexander said.

Like original owner Hattie, Jasper Alexander has roots in New Orleans and brings his own ideas to Hattie’s, Beth Alexander said. He is also a trained chef from the Culinary Institute of America.

The entrepreneur, Hattie Grey, was born near Baton Rouge, Louisiana around 1900. As a young woman, Hattie moved to New Orleans and then went to Chicago to visit her sister, where she met a family who brought her to Saratoga Springs in the summer and Miami in the winter. In 1938, Hattie had enough money to open Hattie’s Chicken Shack on Federal Street where the restaurant thrived for 30 years. Phila Street was eyed as a new home for Hattie’s Chicken Shack due to its proximity to the Saratoga Race Track and the abundance of locals and tourists who frequented the area.

Still located at 45 Phila Street, Hattie’s is still as popular as ever.

“I try to go to Hattie’s on weekends with my wife who can’t get enough of the ribs or jerk chicken. Personally, I like the crab cakes,” said Aaron McDowell of South Glens Falls. “We use Hattie’s as our way to get down to Saratoga to enjoy the city.”

In order to celebrate the birthday of Hattie’s Chicken Shack, Beth and Jasper Alexander are throwing a New Orleans Faire De Deux-style celebration on Sunday, June 1 from 11 am to 4 pm.

To honor Miss Hattie, New Orleans crawfish and fried chicken will be the special dishes served at the event, Beth Alexander said.

“We want that day to be a nice family get-together—a day to honor and remember Miss Hattie,” she said.

Local vendors including Impressions of Saratoga, Hidden Gardens and Michael Noonan will feature their products throughout the day and Mayor Scott Johnson will present Hattie’s Restaurant a proclamation.

The celebration is open to the public.

“We want everyone to come and enjoy the time that day, and remember the good times they have had before,” Beth Alexander said. “Really though, we want everyone to celebrate Hattie.”