Longevity must surely be a sign of unrivaled success. If that’s so, then H&H Restaurant, open since the late 1960s, has achieved it. First opened at Hayes and Third streets, then moved to Cotton Avenue, “Mama Louise” Hudson finally settled in at 807 Forsyth Street and has been happily feeding folks at this location ever since.

The Allman Brothers Band at Original H&

Serving up home cooked  food in a casual, comfortable setting “where everyone knows your name” has been Mama Louise’s specialty lo these many years. Her regulars wouldn’t dare miss out on her fried chicken, baked ham, collard greens and black-eyed peas. “And don’t forget the potato pie,” she says. “You can’t forget about that. 

The H&H lunch crowd is usually just that: a crowd. “Except when the weather isn’t good,” Mama Louise says. “Folks like to come out when the weather’s pretty. ” Most of her best customers, however, will be sitting at a table at the H&H no matter the weather. D. T. Walton, a longtime Macon dentist with his office on Cotton Avenue, has known Mama Louise since the 1960s. “She’s always had a great business,” Walton says. “Mama Louise has the ability to maintain a diversity in her clientele that can’t be easily matched,” he says.Among her faithful followers over the years have been a few famous names, too.

The Allman Brothers, of course, wouldn’t dream of not visiting Mama Louise while they were at home in Macon. They even took her along on a couple of tours. The Molly Hatchet Band and the Wet Willie Band have also felt right at home at the H&H. ” Word pretty much got around the music world that this was the place to eat when you were in these parts,” Mama Louise says. “All I’d have to say is, “Hurry back, darlin”, and they’d be back alright.”