Business Spotlight: Side Door
Updated: 4 days ago
Tucked inside The Reeves in downtown Elkin, Side Door is about more than serving good food. For owners Joanna and Lyle, it’s about creating a place where people feel welcome, cared for, and connected over food that is fresh, beautiful, and made with intention.
And as it turns out, that philosophy is right there in the name.
A Fresh Start in Elkin
Before calling Elkin home, Joanna and Lyle were living in Raleigh with their two children. Ready for a change of pace, they sold their home and headed west in search of small-town life.
Elkin wasn’t originally on their radar. In fact, they had never even heard of it.
Their realtor encouraged them to take a look at the town where he had grown up. They drove through Elkin for the first time on a Friday, made an offer on a house the next day, and never looked back.
Before moving to Elkin, Lyle had already built a strong background in the restaurant industry, including serving as Director of Operations at SOLA in Raleigh. After the family made the move, he spent five years working in special education at Elkin High School. That combination of restaurant experience and his connection to the Elkin community would eventually help shape what Side Door became. Joanna, meanwhile, works as a freelance architectural designer.
Their move came during the uncertainty of the COVID era, but Side Door began finding its footing through pop-ups, including Thursday nights at Harry's. Connections within the community eventually brought Joanna and Lyle to The Reeves, where a friendship and working relationship grew into a permanent home for Side Door.
For them, it was one of those opportunities that could only seem to happen in a small town.
Why "Side Door"?
The story behind the name goes back much further.
Lyle first came up with “Side Door” around 2007 or 2008 after seeing an old sign with a message along the lines of “Hippies use side door,” a reminder of a time when certain people weren't considered welcome through the front door.
He wanted to turn that idea on its head.
At Side Door, the door is for everyone.
That philosophy has become part of the restaurant's identity. Joanna and Lyle want every person who walks in to know they have a place at the table, regardless of who they are or where they've come from.
Over the years, that belief has extended behind the scenes, too. Lyle has intentionally hired people who may not have felt welcomed in other workplaces, including individuals beginning again after addiction and recovery. He has worked with men's homes and recovery centers to offer employment in the kitchen as people adjusted to life as sober adults.
For Lyle, seeing how the culture of a workplace can help transform someone's life has been an important part of what Side Door represents: a place for connection, opportunity, and a fresh start.
Fresh, Beautiful and Delicious
Side Door describes its mission simply: bringing the community together through “fresh, delicious, and beautiful food.”
Those aren't just words for Joanna and Lyle.
Lyle develops the menu with close attention to every ingredient that goes into a dish. They avoid frozen, mass-produced, and prepackaged foods, focusing instead on fresh ingredients and thoughtful preparation.
Presentation matters just as much. If something tastes great but doesn't look the way they want it to, it isn't ready to leave the kitchen.
Even dishes that appear simple are made intentionally, and there's one easy rule for what makes it onto the menu: if they wouldn't enjoy eating it themselves, they don't serve it.
So, what should a first-time visitor order?
According to Side Door, the answer is pretty simple: everything.
Current favorites include the Autumn Pear sandwich and Banh Mi, while the SOLA Turkey remains their best-selling sandwich of all time. The Harvest Salad is another popular choice.
Blurring the Line Between Customer and Friend
As much care as Side Door puts into its food, the experience surrounding it matters just as much.
Joanna and Lyle want people to walk through the door and immediately feel welcomed. Serving someone a meal is only one part of it. They want to know the people sitting at their tables.
“Blurring the line between customer and friend is important to me,” Lyle said.
That sentiment extends well beyond the restaurant. Each year, the family hosts a picnic and invites people they have come to know through Side Door, including many of their customers. What begins as a meal at a restaurant often develops into a genuine relationship.
Family is woven into the business, too. Both of Joanna and Lyle's children have myotonic dystrophy, and both help with Side Door and its growing food truck operation. Their daughter Natalie was especially determined to get involved with the food truck, taking on the job of ringing in orders.
It's another example of what Side Door is built around: making room for people to participate, contribute, and belong.
Finding Community Downtown
Ask Joanna and Lyle what they appreciate about Elkin, and they'll tell you there is something different about the way businesses here interact with one another.
Rather than viewing neighboring restaurants and businesses as competition, they see Elkin as a pond that simply gets bigger as more people join it. Each new business, idea, and destination gives people another reason to spend time here.
Being located at The Reeves places Side Door right in the middle of that energy, surrounded by live music, downtown businesses, locals, and visitors discovering Elkin for the first time.
For a family that came from big-city life, they found something in Elkin that they weren't necessarily expecting: a community where connections can quickly turn into opportunities, partnerships, and friendships.
What's Next for Side Door?
Side Door is continuing to grow.
Their food truck is one of the newest chapters, with plans to pop up around the area at places like The RailYard and Piccione Vineyards. Looking further ahead, Joanna and Lyle are also working toward an eventual brick-and-mortar location of their own.
Whatever form Side Door takes next, the idea behind it remains the same.
Fresh food matters. Beautiful food matters. But so does the person sitting across the table.
At Side Door, everyone gets to use the door.
Visit Side Door
Ready to check out Side Door for yourself? Stop by for dinner and enjoy fresh, thoughtfully prepared food right in the heart of downtown Elkin.
Location: Inside the Reeves Theater
Address: 129 W. Main Street, Elkin, NC 28621
Phone: 336-467-2773
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 5–9 PM
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