by Ezabelle Janssen, Senior Staff Writer
GULFPORT (GG) — On opening day at The Downtowner, not a seat was empty. June 9th marked the culmination of over a year of construction and anticipation for Gulfport’s “newest” dining destination. Located in the historic Triplett-Day building at the corner of Highway 49 and 14th Street, The Downtowner officially welcomed its first guests, breathing new life into one of the city’s beloved landmarks. By mid-morning, local firefighters crowded booths over steaming plates, families filled the dining room, and curious Gulfport residents wandered in, studying photographs lining nearly every wall.
For owner Robert St. John, the opening was more than another restaurant in his impressive portfolio. “This is my 27th opening, and by far the smoothest we’ve ever had,” St. John said just hours into the restaurant’s first day of service. “Restaurant openings are pretty stressful, but we have a really good leadership team; we’ve got a good team overall that we’ve hired… I’m very happy.”
That calm confidence reflects the career of one of Mississippi’s most accomplished restaurateurs. Over the last three decades, St. John has become one of the state’s most recognizable hospitality figures, building New South Restaurant Group into a collection of successful concepts, including Crescent City Grill, Ed’s Burger Joint, The Midtowner, Tabella, Enzo Osteria, Loblolly Bakery, and several others. He’s also an author, philanthropist, and one of Mississippi’s most passionate advocates for local food culture.
Yet despite the accolades and achievements, St. John spent opening day doing something remarkably simple: walking from table to table, greeting customers, shaking hands, and taking a seat. His hope for the restaurant was ambitious: “My goal was to create the most Gulfport restaurant ever in Gulfport,” St. John said.
Whether the city decides if he succeeded remains unknown, but his effort is undeniable. Rather than creating a themed diner frozen in time, St. John envisioned what he calls a “community cafe,” a concept that dates back to an era before chain restaurants took over. “We want everybody to be able to come here and eat,” he said.
St. John designed the space to feel as though it had been operating since 1948. “I wanted it to feel like it had been here forever,” he said, and “if a place had been here since 1948, it would have a lot of photographs of the community over the years and then a lot of trophies. Because they would have sponsored Little League teams, bowling leagues, and fishing tournaments, that’s really what you see here.” The Downtowner has become a living scrapbook for the city of Gulfport. “I love just kind of sitting back and watching people when they walk in, and their eyes kind of light up,” said St. John.
Then there’s the food.
The menu balances Southern comfort and contemporary tastes with breakfast as the main attraction, a fitting focus given St. John’s self-diagnosed obsession, “I have not missed breakfast since 1989,” he joked.
Traditional dishes anchor the menu with “the best biscuits in the state of Mississippi, killer pancakes,” expertly prepared eggs, waffles, and more.
However, The Downtowner knows how to stick with the times. Alongside the classics are modern additions that acknowledge evolving tastes without abandoning Southern roots. Sweet potato pancakes offer a twist on a breakfast favorite. Sourdough French toast delivers a tangier profile than traditional versions. Acai bowls and avocado toast provide a lighter option for diners. Oat milk is available for lactose avoiders, and the restaurant’s rewards program ties in the technology.
The restaurant’s lunch serves what St. John calls “heritage cuisine.” Others call it soul food or country cooking, but the idea remains the same: dishes served on Southern family tables. “It’s the food our grandmothers cooked for us: chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, meatloaf, black-eyed peas, butter beans, turnip greens, cornbread, all of those kinds of things” form the backbone of a menu designed to evoke memory and appetite.
In an age when restaurants often compete to be trendy, The Downtowner’s greatest strength is familiarity. It succeeds because it understands its identity. It is not attempting to reinvent Southern cuisine or become the Gulf Coast’s next culinary experiment. Instead, it serves as a gathering place and a tribute to the city surrounding it.
For more than 65 years, the Triplett-Day Pharmacy served Gulfport; generations sat at the lunch counter, picked up prescriptions, and made memories. When the pharmacy closed in 2020, the community feared that a piece of Gulfport’s identity had been lost.
Six years later, those doors are open again. The counters are filled, coffee cups clink, and conversations buzz, creating new memories while sharing old ones.
The Downtowner is not only a new restaurant but a restoration of community, where history seems to be brewed in the coffee, serving as a reminder that some places deserve a second chapter.
(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette)
