Doug’s Carryout and Grocery, 29539 SR 143, is a local spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Doug’s not only serves food but also works to serve the Athens area. Its staff works hard to keep up a friendly atmosphere that welcomes anyone.
“We just like to get the community out and involved in ‘love thy neighbor’ type stuff –– just trying for people to meet each other and connect in certain ways,” Amanda Zimmerman, co-owner of Doug’s Carryout and Grocery, said.
As well as being a carryout and grocery, Doug’s hosts a multitude of events for residents of Albany and surrounding areas. The staff wants to encourage as many people to come out and experience the hospitality and inclusivity Doug’s provides.
Those interested can participate in the upcoming event this weekend. On Sunday, April 25 at 9 a.m., Doug’s will host a community clean-up. Specifically, the clean-up will be on two miles of State Route 143, which Michael Douglas, co-owner of Doug’s Carryout and Grocery, adopted.
“I adopted two miles of State Route 143,” Douglas said. “I've lived around here for a while, and I told everybody, ‘Before we open, this business isn't open for me to just make a bunch of money –– it's open so I can give back and take care of people around here.’ And, I noticed living around here, the amount of trash just on every side road. It's a beautiful area, and we do get a lot of visitors from even other states...I got sick of seeing the trash on the adopted section highway.”
Douglas will send participants about a mile or two in every direction from the store, and they can pick up any trash they see. Participants will be given orange vests, gloves, trash bags and grabbers to pick up the trash.
“We usually provide breakfast and then we meet up at the store, give everybody the rundown, be safe and all that stuff,” Douglas said.
The clean-up will be a chance to meet new people while caring for the environment. Doug’s also hosts a plethora of other events throughout the year and hopes that these events will bring people from other places to visit the carryout in Albany.
On Sunday, May 2, at 10 a.m., Doug’s will host a cornhole tournament. Cornhole tournaments are often hosted by Doug’s to allow for outside fun for all.
Those interested can sign up with their teammate at Doug’s. Participation is $10 a team. A bracket will be made in advance, but teams are welcome to show up the day of.
Douglas said prizes, like custom cornhole boards or t-shirts, are usually given to the winners.
Zimmerman mentioned they have recently hosted events for the holidays and plan to continue hosting events through the summer. Free movie nights will be hosted on Wednesdays throughout the summer. They also plan to host a volleyball league this summer, as well as ax-throwing.
“We're just trying to expand and have more events, just so people don't feel like they have to drive all the way to Athens, but I would love to get Athens to come out to us,” Zimmerman said.
Doug's is also in the midst of opening a bar, which will most likely open next month. The employees at Doug’s hope to make an impact on people’s lives and show they truly care.
To keep up with future events and changes, people can follow Doug’s Carryout and Grocery on Facebook.
“I would 100% recommend people come out and have a good time because it's a lot of fun and the community comes together,” Logan Neal, an employee at Doug’s Carryout and Grocery, said. “It's just overall a really good experience to see everybody else in a different element like that.”
