Booker T’s Café Making Progress in Downtown Lexington

LEXINGTON, NC — Owner Brooke Bishop told Business Debut that Booker T’s Café, located at 103 S Main St, Lexington, NC 27292, is steadily moving through renovations, with drywall now being installed and trim work underway. While no opening date has been set, Bishop said visible progress has renewed excitement after years of rebuilding.

History and Rebuilding

Booker T’s Café occupies the site of Café 35, a longtime Lexington staple that Bishop and her mother, Tammy Cornell, purchased and reopened together before tragedy struck. “Mom had started working at Café 35, and we had always wanted to do a restaurant together,” Bishop told Business Debut. “We opened it, and people were knocking down the doors. The first week we were on an hour-long wait.”

Just five months later, the restaurant caught fire and was completely destroyed. “We literally stood across the street and watched our dream burn to the ground,” Bishop said. “But the community rallied behind us, and to this day, I can’t go anywhere without someone asking when we’ll be back open.”

Since then, the mother-daughter team has been rebuilding from the ground up in the same historic Main Street building.

What to Expect

When it reopens, Booker T’s will again be a full-service restaurant and bar offering soups, salads, sandwiches, and classic dinner plates such as grilled chicken and hamburger steak. “It’s nothing fancy, but it fits our town,” Bishop said.

The newly rebuilt space will have a redesigned layout and expanded seating, accommodating up to 120 guests with the ability to serve larger groups — a major improvement over the previous configuration. The bar will also feature additional TVs for sports, a new upgrade Bishop said will help meet customer demand.

Menu and Hours

The menu will remain familiar to fans of the original restaurant with a few updates. While weekday breakfast service will be discontinued, the café will focus on lunch and dinner during the week and brunch on weekends, where dishes can be paired with Bloody Marys, mimosas, and White Russians.

“The brunch crowd we had was mind-boggling,” Bishop said.

Opening Timeline

Booker T’s Café does not yet have an official opening date, but renovations are progressing with sheetrock and trim work underway.

Follow for More

Follow their Facebook page for construction updates and reopening announcements.