The Brown Hut, Jackson: 1964-1989

I remember the Brown Hut. When I think of a meal at The Hut, I usually picture the relish tray. Not the actual meal, which is weird...but the relish tray.

That’s one of the reasons I enjoyed eating there. Sometimes I would just settle for the tray and bag dinner altogether. It may have been called a ‘relish’ tray, but there was much more: kidney bean salad, potato salad, cottage cheese, marinated or pickled vegetables, and more. I would fill up on the tater salad and cottage cheese...and I’d be satisfied.

But then the waitress would arrive and ask “May I take your order?” But I was already full. So to avoid embarrassment (and cheapness) I’d order something anyway.

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Then there was the Peanut Room, a favorite place and major destination for many. Why? Because you were encouraged to be a slob and toss the shells of your free peanuts all over the floor. Sometimes the shells would sit on the floor for days and no one would care. On the contrary, many of us enjoyed walking on them just to hear the loud ‘crunches’.

The Brown Hut’s address was 1909 W. Michigan Avenue, directly across from the Westwood Mall. The building opened in 1930 as a tavern; it was sold in 1964 to Arthur Poole, who transformed that saloon into a top-notch, impressive eatery. ..he also created the Peanut Room. There was also live music from time to time, and I remember seeing a few of the local bands perform.

When the Regent Cafe’ closed in 1966, Regent co-owner Nick Petroff took over the Brown Hut until they called it quits on December 2, 1989.

Old timers who fondly remember the Brown Hut unfortunately cannot go visit the old Hut building...it was torn down to make way for a McDonald’s...but we still have our stories.

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