Lunchtime classics like ham and cheese sandwiches elevated with rosemary, strawberry jam, and arugula. Stuffed Medjool dates with smoked paprika and Manchego cheese. Or perhaps a strawberry Basque cake with gelato, jam, and a shortbread crumble.
No matter what diners try, Erin Wilson, owner of the popular downtown Athens restaurant The National, wants their experience to be perfect.
Wilson ABJ ’11, BS ’11 came to the University of Georgia to study public relations in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. It was through Grady’s job board that she learned The National was looking for a social media intern.
Though The National is now one of the Classic City’s most beloved restaurants, it was just a 4-year-old upstart when Wilson started working there. Instagram was also brand new but quickly becoming the place for promoting all things food. The National didn’t have much of an online presence at the time, but Peter Dale ABJ ’99, the restaurant’s award-winning founder and executive chef, knew social media offered an opportunity to expand the restaurant’s reach beyond Athens.
Wilson worked part-time at first, sharing The National’s story on Instagram and setting up its website as a digital home base. She later started working the floor as a hostess and channeled her inner foodie by helping with pastry a few times a week. She prepared Portuguese-style custard tarts and baked 20 mini pies a day during the restaurant’s “pie phase.” She also helped The National celebrate New Year’s Eve by creating individual, boxed cheesecakes topped with edible glitter.
“I loved the finesse, but I also was drawn to the repetition and consistency that is instilled in a great kitchen,” says Wilson, who became general manager in 2015, a partner in 2018, and owner in 2026. “As the years went on, I found myself wanting to continue growing with the restaurant. I loved how my skills in public relations could be useful in so many ways for a space that meant a lot for me. I wanted to not only tell the story but be part of the story.”
“The menu is like a puzzle. What do we want to do in the moment? How do we want the menu to feel as a whole? What do we want to do that’s fresh and new?”
– ERIN WILSON, OWNER, THE NATIONAL
Creating each season’s menu is especially exciting for Wilson.
She and Chef Matthew Palmerlee routinely source produce from local farms, so the menu changes based on what those farmers grow. The result is a menu that gathers inspiration from Northeast Georgia to Spain and the Mediterranean.
Even so, Wilson makes sure there’s always a place for their classics. The National’s cucumber gazpacho, for example, is served every summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day, “like an old friend coming back” each year.
“The menu is like a puzzle. What do we want to do in the moment? How do we want the menu to feel as a whole? What do we want to do that’s fresh and new?” Wilson says. “My goal is to have a great balance of familiar classics that people love and also feel fresh and exciting.”
Wilson wants people to feel comfortable, but she also wants the restaurant to give them a chance to try something they’ve never had before—and maybe discover a new favorite.
The National celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2027.
“I feel super honored to be the owner of this restaurant that I’ve put so much time, love, and effort into,” says Wilson. “I’m excited to continue to steward it as the place that has been important for so many people in this town and has offered me a connection to a really special community.”
