Huey’s is a chain of restaurants and bars in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1970 by Alan Gehry, Memphis Magazine has recognized it as the “Best Burger” every year since 1984. Huey’s has also been recognized as the “Best Grub Pub” and “Best Beer Selection” in Memphis Magazine’s reader’s poll. The chain, known for its “Huey Burger”, has 10 locations across the city. After being founded by Alan Gehry in 1970 as an attempt to “create a bar that would be fun and unique,” Huey’s was acquired by Thomas Boggs in 1976. The company now operates under the corporate organization Uncle Donald’s Restaurant LLC, which is still run by the Boggs family.
Thomas Boggs started working with Huey’s in 1976 in Midtown. He has always had a knack for the hospitality industry. At the age of 14, he started working at a Rexall drugstore as a soda salesman. Regarding this job, he said: “I was bitten by the restaurant industry bug.” He credited Davis Rexall with teaching him the basics of service and giving him a real start in the hospitality industry.
Boggs later married Charlotte Edge and had three daughters, Lauren, Ashley and Samantha. He eventually returned to get his degree from the University of Memphis and waiter at TGI Fridays. He went on to work in the corporate offices of Friday’s in Dallas, traveling to open their new outlets. After leaving Friday’s, he returned to Memphis and began working at Huey’s as a bartender in 1976. The experience he gained at Friday’s allowed him to move into management and quickly become a partner with Jay Sheffield. At the time, Huey’s was just a bar, but Boggs saw a new trend coming. He began to create a menu, transforming Huey’s from a bar to a regular restaurant.
In 1982, Thomas Boggs remarried to White Fulton, and they added two sons, Alex and Fulton, to his legacy. Thomas and Wyatt were active in the Memphis Restaurant Association, and Wyatt was the MRA’s executive director for more than a decade.
Boggs and Jay Sheffield decided to expand and open Huey’s East in 1991. Cordova, Downtown and Collierville quickly followed. Then Southaven, Southwind and Poplar opened in 2000-2002. Boggs’ three daughters helped open and operate Huey’s East, Cordova and Collierville.
Boggs eventually became CEO and co-owner of Huey’s. He was also a partner in other successful high-profile restaurants in Memphis, including Folk’s Folly, Tsunami, Molly’s La Casita, and Half Shell.
Mr. Boggs passed away in May 2008, but his children carry on Huey’s legacy and continue to honor the philosophy on which Boggs built his business. Lauren McHugh Robinson is president of Huey’s Restaurants, Ashley Boggs Robilio is vice president, and Samantha Boggs Dean is special project coordinator. Alex and Fulton Boggs plan to join the family business in the future, and Jay Sheffield is still booking groups for each location. In honor of Thomas Boggs, the stretch of Madison Avenue between Rambert and Barksdale was renamed “Thomas Boggs Boulevard” to dedicate it to him on his 64th birthday.