Auburn restaurant celebrates 10 years

AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) - The restaurant business is tough. To make it 10 years is downright impressive.

A report from CNBC reveals 60% of new restaurants fail in the first year and nearly 80% don’t make it to five years. That’s why folks at The Hound in Auburn are celebrating this week.

“The environment here is casual, warm and inviting, it’s kind of got a little hunting lodge appeal,” said The Hound’s owner, Matt Poirier.

Poirier and his wife moved here from the West Coast more than a decade ago. It’s a long way from California.

“Well, my wife is an Auburn grad, her brothers are Auburn grads, her parents are Auburn grads,” Poirier said.

They had the vision to open up something unique in this college town. The menu has a lot to offer.

“The funny thing is it changes quite frequently because I’m interested in all cuisines,” said executive chef Robbie Nicolaisen. “Always go back to the southern roots, and I have a strong passion for Asian food, so a lot of times on the menu you’ll see a mix-up of Southern and Asian. It just depends on my mood.”

While many restaurants had to close for good during the pandemic, The Hound in Auburn is going... — While many restaurants had to close for good during the pandemic, The Hound in Auburn is going strong. This week its celebrating 10 years.(WSFA 12 News)

You can tell the folks at The Hound really do love their work home. They all realize the restaurant business isn’t easy.

“There’s been some trials for sure over the last 10 years. We’ve had to learn a lot,” said Poirier. “I just recently heard the expression of ‘building the plane while you’re flying it,’ and I think that has applied to definitely our first five years here.”

The Hound is still flying high and this week it’s celebrating a big milestone. March 17 was their 10-year anniversary.

While many restaurants had to close for good during the pandemic, The Hound in Auburn is going... — While many restaurants had to close for good during the pandemic, The Hound in Auburn is going strong. This week its celebrating 10 years.(WSFA 12 News)

“It’s hard to put into words what it means to us,” said Poirier. “I mean a week ago I had a beard and most of it was gray. A picture tells a thousand words. We’ve had, I don’t know how many proposals and graduations and just, we’ve had a lot of wonderful connections and experiences come through this place. And that’s really what’s some of our proudest moments and things that we like to think about over the 10 years. It’s been crazy.”

Crazy, fun and still going strong. They’re already looking forward to the next 10 years.

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