MEET
BOB
BAUMHOWER
Self-proclaimed “Head Fry Cook,” Bob Baumhower is the chief executive officer of Aloha Hospitality, with headquarters in Loxley, AL. Aloha owns and operates 10 Baumhower’s Victory Grille’s, award-winning sports-themed restaurants; three Wingfingers fast casual dining concepts; Dauphin’s fine dining located 424 feet above Mobile Bay in the RSA Trustmark Building; and Las Floriditas, a true Cuban speakeasy located in the same building. With these four unique restaurant concepts, Baumhower owns and operates 15 restaurants across the state of Alabama.
Previously, Baumhower played in the National Football League for the Miami Dolphins and the University of Alabama. He is a five-time All Pro and Pro Bowler with the Miami Dolphins, member of the Miami Dolphins’ Ring of Honor and two-time All-American at the University of Alabama. His experience on the playing field inspired Aloha Hospitality and provided the discipline and dedication to deliver the finest food and dining experience around. In the late 1970s, Bob Baumhower couldn’t have dreamed he’d one day make a career in the hospitality industry. It was his very unhospitable reputation as a defensive powerhouse that made Bob what he was on the football field.
In 1979, “Sunday foes but Monday friends” Joe Namath and Richard Todd of the Jets partnered with Bob in a Ft. Lauderdale hot spot dubbed “Bachelors III.” Joe had several Bachelors III, from New York to Alabama to South Florida. Namath helped Bob through his entire playing career and was one of Bob’s all-time heroes. He credits Namath with lighting the spark to get him more interested in the hospitality business.
Around the same time, former Dolphin Steve Towle invited Baumhower to a restaurant called Wings and Things in Florida that was the first restaurant in the state to serve Buffalo Wings. When the pair left the restaurant, Baumhower knew he had his first restaurant idea. Wings and Things owner, Eddie Hauck, a Buffalo native, and Bob quickly became good friends. In 1981, Eddie helped Bob, along with his high school buddy Phillip Weaver, to open the first Buffalo wings restaurant in the state of Alabama on the campus of the University of Alabama. People were so hesitant to try a chicken wing that Bob had to give wings away for FREE just to get people to try them!
From that small starting point, Bob Baumhower’s relentless passion fueled new goals every day and he went on to grow his small Alabama-based company throughout the state...and it’s still growing, as he continues to pursue perfection in the restaurant business with the same will and determination to win that he did in football.
Baumhower was and is still as hands-on as any person could be when it comes to his restaurants. He is a student of the game. Baumhower has personally worked every position in the restaurants. From prepping and cooking in the heart of the house to running food, bussing tables and to-go orders in the front, he’s done it all. Back in the day, on any given day, you might catch him in the back at one of his restaurants washing dishes or out-front filling beverages behind the bar. He does what it takes and thrives in providing the personal touches that create legendary guest experiences.
To date, Bob’s biggest thrill of his career was when his son Spencer told him that upon graduating college, he wanted to help grow the company. Spencer, being a chip off the old block, has done it all just like his dad. However, according to Bob, Spencer is taking Aloha to a better place through his love of guests, team members and doing whatever it takes. Bob’s hands-on approach is what makes all the difference. Every dish served, the design of every restaurant, the chairs guests sit on, the uniforms the servers wear, every bit of it has Baumhower’s touch on it. Bob Baumhower was and still is the “Head Fry Cook.” From concept development to the last dessert served each night, he is decidedly involved.
Bob Baumhower currently resides on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay in Fairhope, AL, (or L.A. - Lower Alabama - as he likes to call it). Baumhower is happily married to his wife Leslie of 35 years and is the proud father of four children and two grandchildren. He serves as CEO of Aloha Hospitality International, with his oldest son, Spencer, as President. He still considers his wife Leslie as his #1 consultant when it comes to menu development, concept ideas and company direction.