At the ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 21 for Mitchell & Michaels Plat du Jour, partner David Mitchell said he and Chris Michaels planned to open in the new year. Saturday, Jan. 3, is the big day, with the grand opening to start at 2 p.m. at 18031 Dixie Highway.

Mitchell, an experienced chef and caterer, said the restaurant’s menu would include a changing variety of dishes.

“We’re going to do pretty much everything,” he said, including fried chicken, roasted chicken, smothered pork chops, oxtail, lamb chops, salmon, soups and more. “We’re going to change it up, so every day you come in, it’s going to be something different.”

The establishment’s motto is “Where southern flavor meets live entertainment,” and that’s where Michaels comes in. He has two decades of experience in radio broadcasting that will come in handy in producing entertainment offerings.

He said the location was one he had his eye on for several years.

“We had been eyeing this place, which was formerly Culture,” he said. Culture, which offered southern cuisine and entertainment, opened just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic began early in 2020. “That was a tough time for pretty much every business. But I kept coming back to this place and putting my eye inside that window. Eventually it got to the point where the building went up for sale.”

A family member bought the building, and the two partners began implementing their vision for the establishment. He said getting the interior renovated to fit that vision took more work and time than they initially expected.

Michaels credited his wife, Stacey Pegue, with leading the design and work on the renovation.

The restaurant hours will be noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday; noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Mitchell said catering is available every day, and the restaurant will be available for private parties.

For more information, call 708-365-6191 or email [email protected].