The owner of the Yellow Hammer restaurant in Waverly, Mike Hoff, doesn't just keep up with the restaurant's finances--he also waits tables and bartends when the going gets tough.
"Any time we need him, he's here," said Andy Lowery, manager of Yellow Hammer.
Lowery, who has known Hoff for four years, said Hoff is easy-going, which makes working for him a breeze.
"Mike just lets us do our job without getting in the middle of it and micromanaging things," Lowery said.
Hoff's family moved to the Auburn area from New Jersey when his father took a job with Auburn's veterinary school 47 years ago.
Hoff said he's moved away a few times, but has always found his way back.
The place he currently calls home is "in the woods" between Loachapoka and Waverly.
"I like the quiet, and the little town is just sorta like Mayberry," he said. "There's not a lot of traffic and hubbub and confusion. It's a restful place."
Hoff has been in the restaurant business since his youth, working in restaurants from Atlanta to Idaho to New Orleans. But it was his involvement in construction that gave him the idea of taking Yellow Hammer under his wing.
"I was hired to remodel the building for the previous tenant who had a restaurant there, and when the building came up for sale, I decided I'd give it a go," Hoff said.
"I felt like running a restaurant business would be a lot like running a construction business," he said. "Instead of getting carpenters and lumber you get chefs and buy vegetables."
The building was constructed in 1912 as a Ford dealership.
When remodeling, Hoff wanted to keep the building like it was, accentuating its antiquities.
He left the brick exposed on the inside, along with some of the old bolts and wood. He also left old parts racks and tire racks in place.
Hoff said Yellow Hammer's guests come from all over the area.
They often have parents of Auburn students, as well as residents from Lake Martin, Opelika and LaGrange, Ga.
"The biggest reward is people coming out there and having a good time," Hoff said. "I always jokingly say that other people pay for the party, and I just get to come."
Waverly resident Lauren Graves knows Hoff from the restaurant and said he always has an outgoing temperament.
"Mike always enjoys his guests, and his guests really enjoy him," Graves said.
The Yellow Hammer restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday nights and requests reservations.
"It's all about getting the word out," Hoff said.
"Our customers are always very happy; we've just got to get them to come."
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