Sharon Caskey runs a restaurant that gives new meaning to “drive-in.” The restaurant, At Your Service Gourmet Cafe, is located inside the Jim Hudson Lexus dealership at 3410 Washington Road in Martinez.
Caskey was selling cars for Jim Hudson Lexus when its General Manager, Bill Gibbs, told her they wanted to add a food concept to the new dealership and asked if she would be interested in running it. Caskey developed the concept and name, and the café opened in October 2018.
If the concept sounds unusual, that’s because it is. She said some dealerships offer food, but it’s often from an outside vendor, such as Chick-fil-A.
“We’re in a unique environment; let’s make the concept unique,” Caskey said.
At Your Service serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, and the menu changes every day.
For breakfast, the café serves bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches 7-10 a.m. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and typically includes soup, sandwich, and salad options.
“I make 72 soups; all the recipes are mine,” Caskey said. “It keeps me from getting bored.”
She also changes her menu based on the ingredients she’s able to find in local grocery stores.
“Food availability has been a tremendous issue,” Caskey said.
At Your Service, which is owned by the dealership, has been a hit with customers, employees, and the local community. Many of its diners come from businesses located near the dealership, such as Chevy’s Nite Club and Maguire Therapy Services.
“Sometimes we feed 100 people a day and have 20-25 regulars every day,” she said.
Caskey grew up in the CSRA and graduated from Augusta College with an accounting degree, a field she quickly grew to hate because it didn’t allow her to express her creativity. Caskey also used to own Kitchen Magician, an Augusta catering company.
She likes having complete control over the menu, which has allowed her to create a variety of dishes.
“They let me do what I want to do and give me 100 percent creativity,” Caskey said. “Allowing me to be creative has been a win-win for everybody.”
For more information, visit augustalexus.com/at-your-service-gourmet-cafe/ or the café’s Facebook page.
