Under new ownership, the beloved Tupelo eatery has preserved what makes it special, added some new items, and now has locations in Oxford and beyond.
Written and Researched by Leslie Criss | Photographed by Joe Worthem
“From the very first time I tasted Connie’s, I knew it was something special. Now, with our growth into Oxford, West Point and other places in the future, others will have the opportunity to experience that, too.” — Tres Brasell
In 1978, a father and son opened a fried chicken eatery on South Gloster Street in Tupelo. In the early years, the restaurant was run by Constantine “Connie” Asters and his oldest son Mike. The two were later joined by Mike’s brother Jay.
The family trio turned Connie’s Chicken into a culinary icon in Tupelo. If you have a hankering for breakfast on your way to work or on a weekend morning, you make extra time to stop by for one of Connie’s famous chicken or tenderloin biscuits with gravy or their blueberry doughnuts. The drive-through line often circles around the building, and most say it’s worth the wait.
The two brothers continued to run Connie’s after the death of their father. And Jay managed the restaurant for a time after the 2020 death of his brother Mike.
When Jay decided it was time to turn the restaurant over to someone else, Nickle Smith, who loved Connie’s doughnuts during his Tupelo childhood, was interested. It didn’t take long for Smith and his business partner, Tres Brasell, to become the new owners. The two invited Jay to continue to be a presence at Connie’s.
“He was with us when we opened under new ownership,” Brasell said. “Nobody knows Connie’s as good as Jay does. He has helped us tremendously.”
Batesville native Brasell was no stranger to Connie’s. When he was in Tupelo for the birth of his first son six years ago, a friend visited the hospital announcing he was bringing the best chicken biscuits and doughnuts ever for the new parents.
“He acted like this was going to be something real special,” Brasell said. “But I’d had chicken biscuits before, and doughnuts. But not from this place in Tupelo called Connie’s. When we started eating what he brought, we looked at each other like we had discovered something great.”
In the past year, Connie’s expanded beyond Tupelo. Last December, Connie’s opened a small eatery in West Point, and in July, Connie’s Chicken opened in Oxford. A Starkville location is expected in the future.
Smith and Brasell have kept Connie’s as it’s always been, with a few additions. They’ve added a spicy chicken, as well as a signature comeback sauce called Connie’s Sauce to the menu. In Oxford, they are experimenting with adding ice cream, milkshakes and iced coffee.
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