A large turnout and live band kicked off Manners Café & Soda Shop's grand opening last Friday afternoon on the square in Jamestown.

Co-owner Rickie Mann said the event at the '50s-themed restaurant, which has been officially open for a couple of months, went well and that the business stayed busy during Friday's grand opening hours of 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

"We are in our infancy but we're learning as we go," Mann said. He said the grand opening was the restaurant's busiest time so far.

Mann said he had all the available help at the restaurant for the grand opening. "Oh yeah, we had to call in the infantry."

Mann said Friday's patrons were treated to the Classic Times Band from Monticello, a band that  specializes in 1950's era music, as well as a hotdog and Coke for a dollar and giveaways such as t-shirts music CD's and Manners gift certificates every 15 minutes.

"Everyone was talking about the band," Mann said. "They play at a lot of the car shows and at the Somernites' Cruise. They're a great bunch of guys."

In the first few months of the restaurant, Mann said the most popular lunch item has been the Little Fellers, their own signature spicy mini-burgers created by Nona Wooten, co-owner and manager.

"Our fresh cut fries have been a big hit also," Mann said. "We cut them from fresh taters, a lot of people aren't used to fries that way."

The 40-seat diner was filled to capacity several times during the big opening as lines formed outside to wait for a seat and listen to the live band.

"The main thing we wanted to do was preserve the building," Mann said. The landmark was built in 1921 and is one of the oldest buildings in the county seat. Tanner's restaurant, where Manners is now, opened in 1946 by brothers Ernest and John Tanner

.Mann again expressed his thanks to the community and said he hopes to be around for a while.

"We really appreciate everyone's support and patronage," he said. "Every business knows that you have to depend on people to make it work."