By Terry L. Hapney, Jr.
The Ironton Tribune

Recognizing it as one of “the best chicken tenders restaurants” at which they have ever dined, brothers Beckett and Sam Gue—who grew up in Chesapeake—are bringing the “golden fried chicken fingers” they enjoyed in Cincinnati to the Tri-State.
The new Guthrie’s is located next to Aldi just off U.S. 52 in South Point; it opens in the middle to later part of this month.
Sam, the former superintendent of South Point Local School District and educator of more than two decades, is the operational partner. Beckett is the other partner. Liam Gue—who is completing his degree in entrepreneurship in the College of Business at Marshall University—is a shift lead. Trent Salyers is the general manager for the South Point location.
There are three Guthrie’s Tri-State locations in the works—the one in South Point, another in Barboursville and a third location in Gallipolis.
“We’re getting ready to break ground in a week or two in Barboursville,” Beckett said.
Gallipolis should open in spring 2025.
The Gue brothers have a great love for their ties to the local area.
“Our parents still live here,” Beckett said. “We live here.”
Beckett owned a marketing company and sold it. In the past, he also had three automotive shops, including one in Barboursville.
Guthrie’s is based in Alabama. Sam and Beckett tested the product several times.
“We wanted to invest back into our community,” Beckett said. “Some of the major chains in our industry may not be willing to risk it on our little area. Because we’re from here, it’s worth the risk to do that. We know the community will be supportive.”
Sam said the core philosophy of Guthrie’s is to ensure everyone who works for the new restaurant exhibits six “important” attributes when serving customers who walk through their door or visit the drive-thru.
“To be honorable, to be hospitable, to be love, to be generous, to be likable and to be respectful,” Sam said. ‘We want our customers to experience that every single time they come through our doors.”
Also focusing on the quality of their food, Sam said customers are going to get a great product, too, “every single day.”
“It’ll be fresh,” he said. “It’ll be hot.”
The Guthrie’s menu is simple, according to Sam. It includes fresh chicken tenders, fresh fries, fresh toast and fresh slaw.
“That southern sweet tea, too,” he said.
Menu items include “The Box,” consisting of “golden fried chicken fingers, crispy fries, creamy coleslaw, buttery Texas toast and Guthrie’s signature sauce.” They also serve a sandwich that includes “golden fried chicken fingers, crisp lettuce and our signature sauce nestled between a toasted bun.” There are buckets of Guthrie’s chicken fingers with sauce, snack-sized meals and family-sized meal options.
“Our secret sauce pairs well with our chicken tenders, fries and toast,” Sam said.
In addition to sweet tea, customers will enjoy Coca Cola beverages. Sports fans can certainly enjoy Guthrie’s food while they are tailgating, Beckett said.
The brothers are in the process of hiring employees to staff the South Point location.
“We’re in search of like-minded people who want to love on our community and give back,” Sam said. “This entire area has been so good to our families. It’s a great opportunity to give back and serve in a different way. We’re super excited about that.”
Liam will start out as shift lead in South Point. When the Barboursville location opens, he will transition there and eventually manage either the Barboursville or Gallipolis restaurants.
Salyers said his focus is on creating a culture that is “friendly to the customer.”
“I’ll take a lot of pride in making sure we’re hospitable, respectful and showing love to every customer,” he said. “We want their experience at Guthrie’s to be the best part of their day.”
Strong in their faith, the Gue brothers want their customers’ experience to include “God’s hand prints.”
“We’re going to lead in that way,” Beckett said. “Hopefully, it pours out to the community.”
Beckett, who lived in Atlanta for 12 years, said coming back home and doing business here while getting to see the people who raised them and instilled the values they hold is “the best part of it all.”
“We could never give back enough in terms of what we’ve been given,” Sam said. “Our families have been given the world in this area. It is truly our hope to give back to so many who have given so much to us.”