I'm unfamiliar with Byron's. If it's still there, I missed it completely, but I will try to look for it next time on the Plains. (Less than a month away - wahoo!)
Though it's not strictly a local restaurant, my favorite in Auburn is the Mellow 'Shroom. They never cease to amaze me in their capacity to consistantly produce perfect pizzas. There's a nicer, newer one in Montgomery, and I've heard Tuscaloosa has a large 'Shroom, but I think the cramped atmosphere at Auburn's Shroom actually helps.
In terms of strictly local eateries, I recommend Momma Goldberg's; don't judge the sandwich by the shack.
And Provino's, just past the mall, is an excellent, albeit expensive, ristorante italiano.
The rumor about the Auburn Milo's appears to be true. I actually talked to the manager when I found out it was closing. He
said that he wanted to offer chicken fingers (which Milo's offered anyway in a year or so), but the neon signs tell a different story. He wanted to sell beer, the Milo's franchiseers refused, and he walked out on the franchise...
...to his detriment. Fact is, hardly anyone gets that close to campus after hours to procure alcohol; those who do already have Momma G's, Rooster's, and the Blue Room. I refused to eat at the new place (in protest!) but its reputation was, simply, mediocre food in an atmosphere not conducive to beer-drinking. It was no Milo's. It didn't have the sauce, didn't get the customers, didn't pay the rent.
The REALLY sad thing is, last time I noticed (mid-June), the place is STILL empty. The rent must be outrageous. I would love to see Milo's return to the same spot, but my roommate and I know what would do even better:
Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme.
There's very little real competition in all of Auburn. It would be right next to the Auburn ENGINEERS, and it could profit from school-day mornings, late-night engineering projects, conference catering, sorority fundraising, and tailgating.
If only we ran the world...
Yeah, I haven't seen a Denny's in the South for years. My theory is that, like Shoney's, they couldn't compete with the two giants of Southern breakfasts:
Cracker Barrel for "fancy cookin'." Waffle House for cheap and fast.
And McGuire's is fricking awesome. I kid you not.