New Year's Day southern food traditions bring crowds to Atlanta restaurants
Long lines, packed dining rooms, and the smell of Southern comfort food filled one of Atlanta's most iconic restaurants on New Year's Day, as families gathered for a tradition many believe brings luck and prosperity in the year ahead.
CBS News Atlanta went inside The Colonnade, one of the city's oldest restaurants, where customers started the new year with classic dishes like black-eyed peas and collard greens.
"It's an Atlanta staple," said Kimy Kennedy. "You walk in, and you just feel like you are at home."
The Colonnade has been serving Southern comfort food since 1927, and on New Year's Day, the restaurant was packed with people eager to keep the tradition alive.
"We've got to get our black-eyed peas and collard greens fix," Kennedy said.
Inside, nearly every table was full as diners enjoyed meals believed to represent luck and wealth. Black-eyed peas are often associated with good fortune, while collard greens are said to symbolize money.
Manager Scott Duke said the demand was so high that wait times stretched for hours.
"This is part of the main dining room behind me, obviously it is filling up," Duke said. "We have a banquet hall that's starting to fill up as well. We'll be on to a two- to three-hour wait toward the middle of the afternoon."
Duke also gave CBS News Atlanta a look inside the kitchen, where staff worked nonstop to keep up with the holiday rush. He explained that preparing the traditional dishes takes planning and teamwork.
"We soak them overnight," Duke said of the black-eyed peas. "There's a lady named Miss Sonia — she's been here 48 years. She makes macaroni, the collards, all of the prep work. She's just an amazing human."
The Colonnade served about 1,400 people throughout the day, with staff ordering ingredients ahead of time and prepping them the day of the holiday.
In the dining room, families and friends shared their first meal of the year together. For some, the tradition is so important that they travel to Atlanta just to take part.
"He found out about this restaurant and I just tagged along, and we have been going here for the past seven years," said Khaliah Williams, alongside Colby Williams.
Many diners also pointed to the meaning behind the meal.
"You have collard greens which represent money," Colby Williams said. "You've got to get a raise. And you have to have your pork too, because a pig doesn't look backward — it looks forward into 2026."
For those filling the tables at The Colonnade, the New Year's Day tradition is about more than food. It's about family, community and starting the year with hope for what's ahead.