Silver Bluff Road's restaurant landscape has changed slightly in the past several days, with the WifeSaver location now the home of Michael's Family Restaurant, under the same ownership.
"I've been with WifeSaver for 30-something years, as an employee and as an owner," said owner Michael Royster. "They do want a bigger store - a newer store - and it's just not something I'm willing to do at 50-something years old."
The new logo and signs are still in the works, and some new menu offerings are on the way, to complement staples already in place: Southern-style favorites such as chicken, seafood and such side dishes as black-eyed peas, lima beans and fried okra, along with banana pudding as a dessert favorite.
Cajun-style chicken, chicken pot pie and chicken and waffles are to be offered, and a po' boy sandwich might be brought forward as well, "if we can find the right mix to go with it," Royster said. "We'll still have our kids' night on Fridays, where kids eat free. That will all continue."
He said he was not willing to walk away from his "crew" - the restaurant's employees - and that factor weighed in his decision to end his association with the WifeSaver organization. Long-timers include Wendy Smith, who has been on board since 1994; Edith Harris ("1997, I think"); Tony Flemings (2006); Duane Williams ("probably since 2005"); and Michael Royster Jr. ("He's probably been working here since '98").
The building at 651 Silver Bluff Road dates back to 1987, and Royster bought it from Henry Dukes in 1990, Royster said, adding, "I kind of grew up in it."
The original WifeSaver was established in 1965 in Augusta, on Milledgeville Road, and according to some employees, the oldest of the six WifeSavers still in existence is in North Augusta, on Martintown Road.
Bill Bengtson, a native of Florence, Alabama, has worked for Aiken Communications since 1996, providing pictures and stories for the Aiken Standard and The North Augusta Star.