Home - Fenders Diner

About

Fenders Diner has been a north Georgia classic for decades. Restored and relaunched in 2020 to reimagine the classic diner, join us to experience premiere comfort food and unsurpassed hospitality – all wrapped up in our retro style.

The History

The building that is now home to Fenders Diner has been feeding the community of Cornelia for well over 100 years. If these walls could talk, the stories they would tell. The 100+ year old brick building started life as Burrell’s Market some time between the late 1900’s to early 1920’s, and it was owned by Winfred Wallace Burrell. As the story goes, he opened the store when his family moved down from Burton – before the lake was filled – between 1913 and 1920. According to his grandson, the old Burrell family farm is now under water.

The market’s shelves were packed with every kind of food staple a small town north Georgia cook would need for an authentic southern meal. Just a stone’s throw from the bustling railroad station, the market was likely first stop for many arriving in Cornelia. The store was closed in the early 1950’s, that signaled the end of one chapter, but it was just the beginning of the story.

In the mid 1990’s, Russ & Judie Vinson were on a trip up north and they purchased an old diner with intentions to relocate it to North Georgia. Their goal was to create a space that took you back to a simpler time, and provided a unique experience for all of North Georgia. Fenders Diner was born in 1996, and it has been serving comfort food in Cornelia for almost 25 years.

Bradley & Sherry Cook took over from the Vinson’s and continued in their footsteps. They successfully operated Fenders for many years. During that time they expanded the hours, the menu, and the business as they added a catering operation and event facility.

Today

After closing in 2020, Jay & Melissa Reeder completely restored this classic diner, reimagining the diner experience, while keeping the iconic retro style. The *New* Fenders features a menu with a fun fresh take on classic diner favorites (developed by Chef Michael Shepherd). Today, we’re proud to carry on the tradition of those who came before us with a focus on serving exceptional comfort food (with fresh ingredients cooked to order) and unmatched hospitality. We love this tradition and the rich history of Cornelia, and want to create a place where our community can enjoy great food and drinks while celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, or just life in the North Georgia mountains.

Opening hours

FOR LARGE PARTY RESERVATION, LEAVE MESSAGE @ (706) 776-2181

Tue-Thu

11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Friday and Saturday

11:00 am – 10:00 pm

Sunday

11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Popular Breakfast (served all day on weekends)

Fenders Breakfast
2 eggs any style served with home fries, 1/2 lb. cat-head biscuit, and bacon or sausage.$9.50
I Like My Chicken Fried
Fried boneless chicken breast and cheesy egg on a 1/2 lb. cat-head biscuit topped with maple butter... and home fries on the side.$10.50
Breakfast at Mom's
1/2 lb. cat-head biscuit topped with sawmill gravy (option to add sausage), served with 2 eggs any style and home fries.$9.50
White Chocolate Cheesecake Waffles
Decadent fluffy waffles filled with creamy flavors of white chocolate cheesecake, topped with caramel syrup and choice of bacon or sausage$9.50

Popular Lunch & Dinner Entrees

The Brunch Burger
House ground patty topped with bacon, egg, and cheese on a funnel cake bun. Served with fries.$14.00
Dirty Bird/Club Bird
Chicken grilled, fried, or Fenders (MILD/HOT) on a brioche bun with pickles, and special sauce (Dirty Bird = slaw between the buns). Served with fries.$11.00
Cowboy Lasagna
Chipotle pulled chicken with roasted corn, black beans, and 3 cheese blend drizzled with house enchilada sauce and layered in corn tortillas$13.00
Southern La Bamba
Fenders MASSIVE quesadilla served with pico de gallo, and sour cream CHICKEN BACON RANCH | MEATLOAF$13.00
Fender's Tender Bender
Fried or grilled chicken tenders served w/fries and side of sauce ORIGINAL | JERK RANCH | BBQ | PEANUT BUTTER$12.00

DAILY SPECIALS & WEEKEND BRUNCH

Tuesday-Friday

Chef Specials

Sunday

Sunday brunch with chef specials like French Toast, Omelets, and others served in addition to the standard menu (ALL DAY)

View full menu

Order Online

Gallery

If a picture says a thousand words, then you can imagine how long it would take to describe all our mouthwatering selections.

Meet the Chef

Chef Michael Shepherd is the inspiration behind Fenders creative menu. He came to us from Nacoochee Tavern, but many locals know him from his time at Copper Pot. He’s heading up efforts to create fantastic food at Fenders Diner, Fenders Alley, Community Brew & Tap, and Community Catering (all in the Cornelia Entertainment District). These days, when he’s not cooking, you can find him checking on tables at Fenders to make sure guests are loving their meals.

Testimonial”

Food is amazing and service is phenomenal! We had the Meatloaf Quesadilla, Deep Fried Deviled Eggs, and Andes Candies Ice Cream Sundae!

Tammy Cowart Patrick

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Fenders Diner tonight! The service was fantastic and the owners really care about their customers. Our food was delicious. We will definitely be back!!!!

Stacie Price Drake

Food is awesome and serice was absolutely wonderful. There were about 15 people in our party and everyone enjoyed. We will definitely be going back.

Maria Becker

Let us host your next celebration

USE CONTACT FORM BELOW FOR LARGE PARTY RESERVATIONS

631 Irvin Street, Cornelia GA 30531

(706) 776-2181

Fenders Diner

Craft Comfort Food

Unmatched Service with Retro Style