It’s a rare restaurant where the waitresses fight to give you service. That’s what the help is like at El Cajon’s SD Chicken Pie Shop, where the attitude is displayed on a hand-scribbled sign posted on a counter of utensils, coffee and soda: “This is not a self-service station. Please sit down and wait for your server.”

The tough love is a throwback to the olden days, when Ma slapped your hand if you touched dinner before it was ready. Dark gold, ‘60s-era glass divides the dining booths, and the restaurant itself is split into take-out and dine-in sections. The ambience is gloomy but warm, utilizing wood browns and tans to compose a scene close to a Norman Rockwell canvas.

The food is just as classic as the setting. The shop’s menu is a nostalgic, Southern chow-down: biscuits, fried chicken, peas and — of course — all sorts of pies. There are pies filled with all sorts of meats, accompanied with a hefty assortment of sides for a worthwhile $6. The milky mashed potatoes come with hearty gravy, and the rolls are made of a soft dough that has the faintest aftertaste of sweetness.

If the restaurant’s staple item doesn’t interest you, the alternatives are just as tasty. For its fried chicken, the shop uses a spicy breading that is thick and dense enough for a satisfying, spiced crunch but thin enough to avoid dripping, KFC-esque grease.

The shop also offers a small assortment of pies — which come whole or by-the-slice with the $6 dinners — including rhubarb, peach and apple.

While it may be cheap, this old-style experience is cash only, so leave the plastic at home.

SD Chicken Pie Shop

2633 El Cajon Blvd.

San Diego, CA 92104