Word of mouth has gone a long way to bring in repeat customers to Railroad Crawfish & Deli in the month it has been open.

So has their crawfish.

This is no surprise for owner David Underwood. He created a system he says will always work.

“It’s all about service first, the quality of the food and pricing is last,” he said.

Underwood knew his customers would experience those three things and tell others how much they enjoyed it.

“Everyday we’re opening we’re getting new customers,” he said.

Railroad Crawfish can seat 100 people inside and another 100 outside. Underwood’s brother-in-law George Agnew and other friends and family help him run the business.

They keep enough pots of Underwood’s authentic Louisiana crawfish boil recipe simmering to ensure customers get their food in a timely manner.

He’s also adding more amenities to the restaurant for customers to enjoy.

“We’re adding a covered deck with a ceiling fan and big screen TVs are coming on the outside soon,” Underwood said. “They’ll also be big screen TVs on the inside and an air conditioned room for people who want to sit in there.”

Underwood loves to eat crawfish.

“I used to eat crawfish three times a week,” Underwood said. “I’d stop by a store in Brandon to get it before going home to a home cooked meal.”

He’s banking on people in Brookhaven loving them, too.

The 64-year-old saw a need for another crawfish restaurant after he bought his land in Brookhaven.

“There were already crawfish restaurants, but no venue to sit down and host parties,” Underwood said. “My facility lets you come in, sit down and eat and leave your mess for someone else to clean up.”

Underwood said he wants his customers to experience the variety of foods to eat during crawfish season, which will end in July.

“We have tamales, gumbo, jambalaya, alligator and and more,” Underwood said.

Underwood plans to close his restaurant in July after the crawfish season is over, but he’ll reopen in October to start again.

“We do what we do because that’s the season of the crawfish and we want to do it exceptionally well,” Underwood said.

Railroad Crawfish & Deli, located at 421 Brookhaven St., is open Thursday and Friday from 4-9 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Boiled crawfish is available by the pound or the platter. To place an order, call 601-835-3535.