Success didn’t happen overnight for Bubba Conner. Through four decades of long hours, calculated risks, and a commitment to showing up for his team every day, Conner built Bubba’s Silver Spoon Catering into a successful company.

As Huntsville has grown and evolved over the years, so has Conner. He and his catering business are a community staple, serving hundreds of celebrations, milestones, and events that have brought friends, neighbors, and family together.

In this edition of Sit Down with Success, Conner discusses entrepreneurship, leadership, and the importance of hard work in building a strong business.

What led you to start Silver Spoon Catering in 1987?

I lived in Birmingham for a little while and moved back to Huntsville because a friend of mine, Randy Schrimsher, was building Washington Square downtown and wanted me to start a restaurant. I told Randy I didn’t know anything about opening or running a restaurant. He said, “I know you know how to cook because I’ve eaten plenty of your food.”

We went fishing and talked it over. I came back to Huntsville, ran Gorin’s Ice Cream, and did construction work while starting the restaurant Bubba’s in downtown Huntsville. A good friend of mine loaned me the money to get started.

It was successful, so I started catering out of the restaurant. We got so busy that I had to move the catering to another kitchen near Oakwood on Fletcher Street. I was also running Adtran’s cafeteria and had another restaurant in Hampton Cove, where I lived.

The catering business was doing very well, and I was just working myself to death. I realized I had to do something because I was burning the candle at both ends, so I sold the restaurants and decided to go strictly into catering.

It was hard at first, but it’s been a good run. Just last year, we catered 368 weddings. I’ve never missed a day of work in 40 years.

Can you tell me about some of the challenges you have faced over the years and what you learned from those?

I’ve had several setbacks. One of the restaurants I had, Bubba Land Barbecue, caught on fire, and unfortunately, it cost me a lot of money. One of the hardest challenges we’ve faced was losing much of our corporate business during COVID. We lost over a million dollars.

Thankfully, Huntsville is growing so much that our corporate clients are now coming back. We cater for incoming Trash Pandas teams and many NASA events.

In general, just keeping good employees is very difficult, especially in the food business. It hasn’t been easy, and I’m still working, but I keep going. You have to fight for your business daily.

Through owning and operating multiple restaurants and now your catering company, what have you learned about being a leader?

It’s important to let your employees know that you care about them and the business.

What have you learned about your clients after serving them for multiple decades?

If you do a good job, they’ll call you back. I have a lot of repeat customers. That tells me that we’re doing something right.

Are there any habits or routines that you believe have contributed to your success?

I get up early and work late. I try to go to all of my customers’ parties and events. It’s hard to do now because there are so many, and I can’t get to all of them.

Is there anything about your career that most people would be surprised to learn?

I’ve catered for a lot of famous people. I have done a good amount of catering for Billy Bob Thornton. He always says when he comes to Huntsville, “I want Bubba’s barbecue for all my people.”

I had the first, or one of the first, sushi restaurants in Huntsville. I added a sushi bar to Bubba’s Restaurant. Everyone laughed at me about that, and now they’re on every corner. One unique item I came up with for people who don’t normally eat raw fish was a “Bubba Roll.” It had fried catfish in it. The sushi bar took off and did well.

How did you develop your culinary skills over the years?

My family has always loved to cook (my mama, my grandmama, everybody). When I was in college at Auburn, I was the house manager for the KA house. When the chef and the cooks would get busy, I would help them start cooking.

What are some of the most popular items you serve?

With the name Bubba, everyone thinks, “Oh, I love your barbecue.” Some people think that’s the only thing we serve but we make all kinds of food.

We make a pecan pie with white chocolate ganache that’s really good. We do a lot of bread pudding. We make real, fresh banana pudding, and we bake all our brownies and cookies. If you eat it, we can make it.

Do you have any advice for anyone interested in starting a restaurant or catering business?

I’m more than happy to help them in any way I can. People call me all the time asking for advice, and I’m just honest with them. Huntsville is growing so fast, and there are restaurants popping up everywhere. The restaurant business is good in our area right now, but it’s tough. You need to have the right food and be in the right location.

Work hard, show up, and do the best job you can do. Have a good banker and people who trust you. I started out with nothing and built this place from the ground up, but I had a good banker who knew I worked hard.

Back when I ran my restaurants, I’d work there all day and night and would leave as the sun was starting to come up. It’s hard, but to make it in this business, you’ve got to put in a lot of time.

What gives you confidence about the future of Silver Spoon Catering?

My son Josh is taking on a bigger role in the business. We’ve built something special over the last 40 years, and with Josh helping lead the next chapter, we’re not going anywhere.