Downtown seafood restaurant changes name, menu

What was a downtown Maryland-style seafood restaurant that opened for business in late March 2025 had a soft opening Thursday with a new name and a different menu.

The former Bustin’ A Gut in the 100 block of Southeast Main Street is now welcoming customers with the name Sho’ Nuff Seafood with Soul, with the seafood being Southern fried and the soul food being homemade.

Marilyn Bryant Tucker, who opened the restaurant a year and a half ago with a co-owner, is now the person in charge.

Tucker in an interview on Thursday spoke about having started trying to serve nothing but seafood but of seeing a need in the community to also offer soul food.

Asked who came up with the new name and logo for the restaurant, Tucker said that she did.

“When people hear me talk, I would hear them repeat, ‘sho’ nuff,’” Tucker said.

And the name stuck.

“I said, ‘Do I say that a lot?’ They said, ‘Yeah, you sure do.’”

And Tucker said that friends who know her personally can confirm it’s a favorite expression of hers.

And she said that, “I want people to come here and enjoy a good home-cooked meal — and I think that’s what’s missing in a lot of restaurants. It’s a lot of fast food — and you don’t find many restaurants that’s cooking from scratch and cooking with love and passion.”

Helping Bryant cook soul food is her mother, Lossie Dupree, and another cook, Juanita Norville.

Dupree, 76, said that she has been cooking soul food for more than 50 years.

Dupree is from the Whitakers area and continues to reside there.

“I came from the country and I grew up in the country — and we made the best of what we had,” she said. “And most of what we had were vegetables, and we did pork, but we kind of get away from pork because so many people have health issues.”

Dupree said that the main reason that she loves cooking soul food is because the cuisine is so delicious.

“And most people love soul food,” she said.

Norville, 73, lives in Rocky Mount but is originally from the Whitakers area.

“I was born and raised on soul food,” Norville said. “And I just enjoy cooking.”

Additionally, Dupree and Norville long worked in Rocky Mount for Gardner’s Barbecue. So did Tucker for a time.

Norville said people entering Sho’ Nuff can expect a good meal.

“We just want to have it ready for them when they come — and when they eat it, we hope they enjoy it,” Norville said.

Bianca Jones of Greenville was waiting for her order Thursday.

“It smells real nice in here, real hearty,” Jones said.

Thursday also marked Jones’ birthday, and her brother, Trell Moore, also of Greenville, picked her up for the trip to Rocky Mount to try something new and different.

“He likes to eat,” Jones said.

Asked whether she is a soul food person, she said, “Yes, yes.”

And she said that images of Sho’ Nuff’s food, as her brother showed her from social media before making the trip, looked good.

Tucker, who grew up in Rocky Mount, said on Thursday that she is thankful to be operating her business downtown.

“I remember how downtown was so beautiful,” Tucker said, noting that she is glad to be part of an effort to help revitalize the heart of the city.

Sho’ Nuff is open from noon to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.