Our Story

Owners Bob Gour and Carol Thompson have been involved in the hospitality industry for over 40 years.

Bob began his career in hotels but eventually found his way to restaurants and began working for Ruby Tuesday. Coincidentally, Carol’s career began by waiting tables while in college and she too became part of the Ruby Tuesday team. After spending 32 years with the company, Bob and Carol had overseen 50 restaurants and generated $100 million in sales in their respective regions.

They knew they wanted to retire to the Lake Oconee area, but decided to make their move earlier than planned after seeing the need for a high-quality, efficient café. 

Café 44 offers a variety of homemade breakfasts, pastries, soups, sandwiches, family meals and artisan coffee brewed fresh in Thomasville, Georgia. They can also provide after hours catering for delicious and easy meal solutions. 

The team at Café 44 is dedicated to ensuring that all of their customers leave happy. By listening to their guests' needs and hiring and a committed and enthusiastic team, they are proud to be a local favorite!

It’s not just the local’s that rave about Café 44. They were recognized in “Garden & Gun Magazine'' as a must visit Lake Oconee restaurant, as well as by Explore Georgia in 2019 where their California Club was selected as one of “100 Plates that Locals Love.”