Some places don’t just serve meals—they hold stories, pass them around the table, and season them with memory. The Dinner Bell in McComb is one of those rare Mississippi institutions where history, hospitality, and home cooking come together—literally—around a round table.
The tradition of round-table dining stretches back more than 80 years in Mississippi, born in boarding houses that relied on Lazy Susan tables to feed large crowds efficiently. Though The Dinner Bell was never a boarding house, its proximity to the railroad and bus station made it a natural stop for travelers hungry for a hot lunch and a familiar welcome. Strangers sat shoulder to shoulder, passing platters of food, becoming neighbors by the time dessert was served.
The Dinner Bell began modestly across the street on Louisiana Avenue in a small white frame building. Its original owners, Jack and Ann Corbett, commissioned an eighteen-seat round table from Loubat Restaurant Supply in New Orleans—assembled inside the dining room itself. What started as a simple idea quickly grew into something larger than expected. In 1959, employee-turned-owner Mrs. Grace Whittington moved the restaurant to its current location, adding more round tables to keep up with demand.
The building itself tells its own quiet story. Built between 1921 and 1923 by John White of the prominent White family, the brick home features molded ceilings, birch trim, ceramic tile floors, and an astonishing number of windows—more than 1,400 panes total—filling the dining room with soft Mississippi light. It’s the kind of place where time seems to slow the moment you step inside.
Then there’s the food—the heart of it all. Plates arrive heavy and generous: golden fried chicken with a shatteringly crisp crust, cornbread dressing spooned warm and savory, and butter beans cooked low and slow. Fried eggplant, introduced under Mrs. Whittington-Wales, still arrives perfectly tender beneath its crisp coating. Bowls of turnip greens, creamed corn, and candied yams circle the table, joined by biscuits that beg for butter and sweet tea poured without asking. Desserts—coconut cake, chocolate pie, banana pudding—feel less like a menu choice and more like a family expectation.
After a brief closure in the late 1970s, The Dinner Bell was saved by John and Carolyn Lopinto, who reopened it in 1981. Later, longtime grocer Buddy Davis—who had supplied its eggplant for decades—took the helm, ensuring the flavors stayed true. Today, with his son André, daughter-in-law Ashley, and their daughters, Lorelai and Isabella, the restaurant remains firmly in family hands.
Located in McComb’s Depot District, where highways and histories intersect, The Dinner Bell continues to welcome generations—locals, travelers, and return visitors alike. It’s proof that when the food is delicious, the table is round, and the door stays open, Mississippi will always find its way back.
