SOME LEGACIES ARE CREATED ONE PLATE AT A TIME. When Irene and Clint Cleaves opened the Four Way Grill – now the Four Way Restaurant – in 1946, their dream was to serve the best soul food in Memphis. It is unlikely they ever imagined the lasting legacy the Four Way would come to have in their community and the world. Mr. Cleaves died 34 years after opening the Four Way. His wife kept the restaurant going until 1996, two years before she passed away.
In the early 1960s, the Four Way was one of a few places in Memphis where Black and white diners regularly sat together. They served incredible soul food to their neighborhood, Stax musicians, and visiting dignitaries. The restaurant became a home for leaders of the Civil Rights Movement such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton.
As the Four Way celebrates its 75th year in 2021, current owner Patrice Bates Thompson continues the Cleaves’ and her parents Willie and Jo Ellen Bates’ legacy of serving love on a plate to people from all walks of life.
The Four Way has been featured on the Travel Channel, Andrew Zimmern List, Showtime with Navy Football Season 2, Southern Living Magazine, The New York Times and a video with Drake.
