Little said opening a restaurant that offers food with Southern, Southwestern and Cajun flavors is more than just expanding his growing business. Little, who also owns a local food truck, said it’s also about filling a void in the community where he grew up.

“You don’t want to feel like your community doesn’t have its own beautiful place, and that’s what I’m trying to do with this,” Little said. “The goal was to give Beauregard its own place, and the contract provides for that. They come for me, and I’m constantly improving.”

With The Hornet’s Nest, he created this local meeting place. The restaurant, located at 9415 Al Highway 51, opened to the public after three years of construction and preparation.

Little said his first experience in the food business was at Sonic at age 16. Now 30, he first worked as a manager at Krispy Kreme before deciding to open a local food truck – The Chill Spot.

The food truck earned its name by initially selling only frozen treats, but Little wanted to get into the food business. To do that, he needed a cafeteria. That led him to buy the vacant building at 9415 Al Highway 51 in Opelika.

The property has had a special connection for Little since he was young. He said when he was learning to tie his shoes, Susan Patrick, an elementary school teacher, rewarded him with an ice cream at the Beauregard Diner, which operated on the exact spot where The Hornet’s Nest is today. Little said he grew up about a mile away and has close ties to the community, as his father was a teacher at Sanford Middle School for two decades.

The building was the restaurant for several years and then became Big Daddy D’s, but it has been closed for some time. Little said he initially bought the property to make it a lunchroom for The Chill Spot, and then his focus shifted to making the property commercially viable and opening it as a restaurant.

“I wanted to grow and expand my food truck and do something with solid ground and mortar. I wanted to do it as well as I could. The best burger I could make, the best fries I could make. I try to serve a great product,” Little said. “I love good food. I want to make good food.”

The restaurant has been billed as “Beauregard’s casual fine dining spot,” according to the company’s website. Little said the menu lives up to that claim while trying to keep prices low. None of the traditional dishes on the dinner menu cost more than $14.50, and there are also two options for a full meal.

When creating Hornets’ Nest, Little drew inspiration from various things in his life and described the menu as things he loves.

His Santé Fe soup is a family recipe his mother made for years. The yellow queso cheese dip is inspired by a personal favorite Chili’s recipe. The Southwest tacos are a classic at The Chill Spot. Then there’s the Big One Burger, which Little says is inspired by Chef Gordon Ramsay’s own recipe with 30% beef tenderloin and which Little worked several months to perfect.

He also draws on his experience with food trucks to operate the outdoor Tiki Lounge, which is located behind the restaurant and has its own special menu.

“The tiki area is just… I love going to the beach. I love that whole style, so it’s just a mix of everything,” Little said. “It adds some variety for us. It doesn’t overwhelm the kitchen and allows me to have an outdoor seating area, which, like I said, we’ve done a lot with, it’s very cute.”

A key feature of the Tiki Lounge is the refrigerator full of various sodas in glass bottles. Both the Hornets’ Nest and the Tiki Lounge do not sell alcohol.

“I’m more interested in the churches and schools and building the community than I am in what I do. The community has responded well,” Little said. “For me, in the fall, it’s more important to have 16 kids from high school or middle school or wherever having fun than serving alcohol.”

Little said they had a non-alcoholic Corona with 0.5% alcohol.

Little said they have had a lot of business and positive feedback since opening and that they will continue to improve and modernize as customer numbers increase.

“It’s like the first time you stand in line at the food truck. It’s just a wild experience. I work 120 hours a week,” he said. “It’s really satisfying and a surreal experience. But to keep this momentum going and keep everyone coming, like I said, we have to keep making good burgers and good portion sizes and keep doing our best.”

Hornet’s Nest is open Monday through Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Brunch is served on Saturday mornings.