Omni hut founder dies

A local resident that was a fixture in Smyrna long before Nissan has passed away recently. Jim Walls was the Founder of Omni Hut and through the restaurant met and became friends to a whole town.

He opened Omni Hut in 1960, shortly after retiring from service. The restaurant is based on the cooking styles and recipes he learned abroad. About three days after it opened, customers kept telling him, “That’s the best Polynesian food I’ve ever had.” So he switched the theme of the Omni Hut to Polynesian.

State Rep. Mike Sparks said Walls gave him his first job at the restaurant at the age of 13.

“I remember him telling me that the banker he went to get a loan said he’d only be in business about three months,” Sparks said. “Maj. Walls was a visionary and he really walked to the beat of his own drum. He had a belief in himself that he could make (Omni Hut) successful.”

State representative Mike Sparks spoke well of him to me on many occasions in the past.

A memorial service will be this Sunday for those interested.

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