Family Home, Community Favorite

Heritage and hospitality shine at Shayne’s Café

In the Bayou Meto community near Jacksonville, Shayne’s Café serves down-home fare in the most fitting place imaginable — the walls of owner Shayne Wooldridge’s great-grandmother’s house.

The original home was remodeled with love and care by Shayne’s family. Since opening in 2024, the friendly café has blended history and heart into its dining experience.

“I had little experience cooking, but I have a great staff that is willing and patient,” Shayne said. “My family is very involved with the store and is always lending a recipe and knowledge.” Her family includes her husband, Hunter Wooldridge, a lineworker with First Electric Cooperative.

Shayne’s has a cozy, warm interior and charming exterior that is usually decorated for each season. The walls are adorned with historic photographs that tell the story of the community around Shayne’s.

“It is always a good day to come to work,” Shayne said. “The community is super supportive and like family.”

The hamburgers at Shayne’s are made from the family’s locally raised beef. So, you are guaranteed one of the freshest, best-tasting burgers that you have ever had. I was treated to the Loaded Burger. The attractive plate featured a nice-sized beef patty topped with onion rings, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and cheese. The generous Loaded Burger lived up to its name, packed with great flavors with each bite. In addition to the two large onion rings on top, a side of onion rings rounded out the meal.

The wraps at Shayne’s are very creative and tasty. I enjoyed the huge Tex-Mex Wrap, a flour tortilla filled with grilled chicken, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, black beans, corn, avocado and an avocado ranch dressing. The side was Cowboy Queso Tots, layered with homemade queso and topped with chopped bacon.

The menu also features a solid selection of sandwiches and salads. The Club Salad, essentially a club sandwich in salad form, was a standout that included ham, turkey, bacon, mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickle, shredded cheese and avocado. Mine came with house-made ranch, though several dressing options are available.

Daily lunch specials are offered at Shayne’s. The day of my visit, I lucked into the Grilled Pork Chop with sides of twice-baked potato and whole kernel corn with a roll. The pork chop was cooked perfectly with great color and seasoned just right. Based on my experience, I would guess that any daily special is, well, special.

If you make it to Shayne’s on Fridays, you can enjoy a plate of Fried Fish, where the fish is only one component of the serving. The plate includes your choice of potato or onion rings, corn fritters, hush puppies, brown beans, coleslaw, fresh tartar sauce and pickled tomatoes with sliced onion and lemon. I loved the hand-cut fries that were seasoned with a special fry salt. Be sure to map out your visit for a Friday, if you are a fish fan.

Shayne makes the desserts daily. Several of my friends rave about the cupcakes, pies, muffins, cookies and other rotating sweets. I scored a German chocolate cupcake on my visit that was very, very good. Cobblers are also on the menu when fruits and berries are in season.

Breakfast is served daily from 7 to 11 a.m. Also, take-and-bake entrées and sides are available for those who want to take Shayne’s home cooking home.