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Relish Cafe
2 of 2
Relish Cafe
The wait is over.
After long delays, popular caterers Victoria and Michael Dinges opened their first restaurant venture, Relish Cafe, on June 11 inside Hoover Tactical Firearms, 1561 Montgomery Highway.
Victoria Dinges built a reputation as a line cook at Daniel George and as pastry chef at DoDiYo’s, while Michael honed his craft as a cook at The Club and fine-dining restaurants Bottega and Daniel George. But it was their catering business, Relish 205, that made them a household name among customers in metro Birmingham.
Dinges said Relish Cafe has gotten a “very positive reaction” since it opened. Her biggest challenge has been convincing some folks hesitant to eat lunch at a gun store. “But once they get in and taste the food, they come back,” she said.
Dinges said Relish Cafe is a great complement to Hoover Tactical & Firearms. The space came open when the operator of a deli retired.
Dinges said she and her husband had hosted catering events there and fell in love with the location.
“Our networking group meets here and everytime I walked by I drooled over the kitchen because it has so much space,” Dinges said. “People asked us cater bigger events and I never had the space for it. Now we can do that for up to 200 plus people.”
Besides running the cafe, Dinges said Hoover Tactical rents out its conference room and she and her husband handle catering for them.
Dinges said a lot of their lunch crowd are folks who work in businesses nearby. She and her husband drove by several locations looking for a spot to open a cafe, but couldn’t find a place with enough parking or space.
“It’s a great partnership. We’re separate entities but it’s great to be able to collaborate,” she said. “We’ve got everything we want here - plenty of parking, a big kitchen.”
Dinges said what sets them apart from most other “meat and three” restaurants is they use all fresh items daily and buy local produce, vegetables and other items as often as possible.
“We work with some folks out of Goodwater, Clanton, Chilton County and are always looking to expand partnerships with farmers,” Dinges.
Dinges said their shrimp and grits and fried green tomatoes are their most popular selling items so far, along with squash casserole and macaroni and cheese.
Dinges wanted to thank Hoover area residents who waited patiently until Relish Cafe opened in June. Business has grown through word-of-mouth and daily menu posts she puts on the Relish Cafe Facebook page.
“We’re open for business and I really want people to try it- I feel so confident when they try it once, they’ll come back or think of us when they have a catering event,” Dinges said.
Besides operating the restaurant inside Hoover Tactical Firearms, Relish 205 will continue the catering business it is known for. The company specializes in catering for corporate functions and businesses.
Victoria Dinges said the location inside Hoover Tactical allows the couple to go after a broader audience than they could strictly catering.
“Our catering is mostly fine-dining but I wasn’t sure we could pull that off here,” Dinges said. “Here we are more casual – meat and three, fish, chicken, a little bit of everything. We will be seasonal and change the menu often.”
Besides operating the restaurant inside Hoover Tactical & Firearms, Relish 205 will continue the catering business it is known for. The company specializes in catering for corporate functions and businesses.
Victoria Dinges said the location inside Hoover Tactical allows the couple to go after a broader audience than they could strictly catering.
“Our catering is mostly fine-dining but I wasn’t sure we could pull that off here,” Dinges said. “Here we are more casual – meat and three, fish, chicken, a little bit of everything. We will be seasonal and change the menu often.”
About Relish Cafe
Owners: Victoria Dinges and Michael Dinges
Address: 1561 Montgomery Highway inside Hoover Tactical Firearms
Hoover, AL 35216
Phone: (205) 612-9135
Website: relish205.com
Hours of Operation: Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m. - 2p.m., in September will begin serving breakfast on Saturdays 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. and expand snack bar to 7 p.m. weekdays
