The Purple Daisy Picnic Café Celebrates Twenty Tasty Years Serving St. Elmo

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Since 2005, The Purple Daisy Picnic Café has served up some of the best BBQ and picnic-style sandwiches in St. Elmo.

The café quickly became a staple of the community and has now turned into a flagship restaurant in St. Elmo and the greater Chattanooga area. Located next to the Incline and around the corner from Goodmans’ Coffee, walking up to The Purple Daisy immediately takes you back in time. There’s a laid-back, peaceful, hippie feel.

The deep purple font of the restaurant title sits to the right of a purple donkey, facing away from a bright yellow sun. The donkey is in total peace, standing on a picnic blanket with a daisy in its mouth. The playful drawing captures the atmosphere of the restaurant, before opening the door to a quaint indoor lobby with pictures of flowers on the wall and some multi-colored tables and chairs.

To the left of the old-fashioned television host stand is a small tin bar, perfect for grabbing a drink and enjoying the homespun vibe. On the interior of the walls are small knick-knacks and an eclectic mix of colors and decorations that are cozy, fun, and quirky. On the table are three BBQ sauces: sweet, hot, and original. Simple sauce options with a purple donkey smiling on each of them.

After twenty years in business, at this point, The Purple Daisy feels like home in St. Elmo. The colors, the indoor and outdoor seating, and even the menu, all have a generally laid-back attitude that has become emblematic of the small town it's in.

The menu is simple and down to business; purple and yellow in color, prominently featuring their famous “Rainbow Sandwich,” alongside deli sandwich options, tacos, hot dogs, St Louis Style Ribs, other BBQ, and a host of decadent desserts, like their magnificent banana pudding.

Their signature option, the “Rainbow Sandwich,” is a three-layered sandwich on crustless white and wheat bread. The first layer is filled with homemade chicken salad, the second filled with homemade pimento cheese, and the third is topped with a lush spread of cucumber and cream cheese.

Served with a side of chips and a pickle, the dish immediately transports you to a simpler time, one with a blanket, a picnic basket, and maybe even a purple donkey. The cafe also serves a variety of other sandwiches and southern-inspired dishes and is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. every day except Sunday.

In talking with owner Tony Davis about the cafe’s origins, he mentioned, “We began with a food trailer called The Purple Pig. At first, We were just looking for a home base to put a kitchen in for preparing for events and storage. That’s when we remodeled the building on the other side of the Incline. It turned into a sit-down restaurant immediately. Two and half years later we lost our lease which ended up being a blessing because we were able to buy the building where we are currently located.”

Since their conception, The Purple Daisy has been a pillar of the St. Elmo community, and while they do not like to broadcast all they’ve done for St. Elmo, Tony did suggest that. “We have supported lots of events and charities for various organizations over the 20 years. We do them out of our hearts and not to broadcast or take any kind of credit for it. And we will continue that same commitment going forward.”

To commemorate their two decades of being in business, the café has started a special rock garden around their patio that is meant for anyone to pick up a rock and draw on it to celebrate their twentieth anniversary. There are paint pens available for children and adults alike to express their creativity and build memories.

When asked about plans for the future of the café, Tony mentioned “Of course our plans were to expand at the beginning. But we don’t have anything in the works right now. We are open to the idea of it. Our immediate plans are to add two Air B and B’s to The Purple Daisy Family six miles down the road. Would also love to remodel our building.”

The Purple Daisy Picnic Café