Based in Signal Hill, Calif., Hof's Hut specializes in providing its customers with quality meals at reasonable prices. Owner Craig Hofman says the 55-year-old company currently operates two dining concepts: its Hof's Hut restaurant and bakery locations and its Lucille's Smokehouse Barb-B-Que restaurants.

Hofman's parents, Harold and Donna Hofman, founded the company in 1951. During the 1940s, Harold Hofman had operated a beach burger stand in Long Beach, Calif.

When the Hofmans married in 1947, Harold Hofman saw the need to operate a year-round business.

The two opened their first Hof's Hut restaurant on Sept. 16, 1951, in Belmont Shore, Calif. That night, Donna Hofman gave birth to their son.

Priority No. 1
According to Craig Hofman, his father's first priority at Hof's Hut was serving "the best breakfast, hamburgers, chili, onion rings [and] home-baked pies, and to use top-quality ingredients and provide great service."

Today, the company strives to maintain those values and operates nine Hof's Hut locations in California.

Hofman notes the Hof's Hut concept appeals to families and seniors. "They seem to like the variety of our breakfast, lunch and dinner menu," he explains.

Doing Something New
Seven years ago, the company introduced the first Lucille's location in Long Beach, Calif. According to Hofman, at the time, barbecue cuisine was underrepresented in California. For one year, Hofman studied the practices of barbecue restaurants throughout the South.

Before opening the first Lucille's, "we spent probably another half-a-year working on the menu," he remembers.

According to Hofman, Lucille's strives to offer a superior eating experience to its clients. Many barbecue restaurants, he explains, are often "small mom-and-pop places." With Lucille's, Hofman says, the company offers barbecue in an upscale environment.

The 10,000-square-foot restaurants offer full bars with live blues entertainment. Its menu includes such items as baby back and St. Louis spare ribs, New Orleans gumbo, Mardi Gras chicken, blackened catfish, black tiger shrimp and Texas-style beef brisket.

Hofman says the Lucille's concept appeals to a variety of demographics. "Large families tend to like our barbecue concept," he says, noting that Lucille's offers family style meals.

In addition, Lucille's has become the company's main focus and expansion vehicle. "We filled a niche, and where we go, we seem to be doing very high volumes," Hofman says.

By mid-December, he notes, the company will have eight Lucille's locations in California and Nevada. In addition, the company plans to open three more locations each year.

The Family Business
Hofman has been with Hof's Hut for more than 30 years. "My dad died pretty young, when I was just getting out of high school," he remembers. Afterward, he started working for the company, and his mother oversaw the restaurants for several years.

During his career, Hofman says he has found the restaurant business to be exciting in many ways. "You can wear a lot of different hats," he says, explaining that he has participated in the creation of menus, real estate and construction.

"There are many different challenges and a lot of different aspects," he continues. "I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction in creating an atmosphere and product where our guests have a great dining experience."

'Best Barbecue'
With the Lucille's concept, Hofman says the company wants to maintain its mission of "serving great barbecue with the finest southern hospitality."

By using online testing provided by Unicru, he says, the company can identify applicants with the proper skills for serving the public.

As a family owned business, "we're not at any kind of whim of Wall Street," Hofman adds. With this leadership, he says, the company can focus on long-term goals and results.

Third Generation
The Hofman family's involvement in the company also has extended to a third generation. Hofman's oldest son, Brad Hofman, has helped the company develop a catering program at Lucille's. Hofman is also its catering manager.

The catering program has served companies, weddings and sports teams. "We just did an event with the Los Angeles Lakers," Craig Hofman adds.

Consistent Expectations
Hofman says the customers' quality expectations have remained constant throughout his career. "I don't think anything really changes that much in the restaurant business," he says. "As long as you're providing a quality product at a reasonable price, you've got a chance."