Richard Schwartz has had a long career in the restaurant business on the island.

Richard Schwartz sits in his Orange Beach office the day after Hazel's Nook's final day of business. He said the response in the last three days was …

Over the past 44 years, he has seen the area grow and has opened, closed, sold and built several restaurants. At one point, he said his company were one of the top employers in Baldwin County.

One may be surprised to know his original plan when he left Greenville, Mississippi, for the University of Alabama, was to become a dentist like his father. Like many plans, that was not his path. He even considered becoming a veterinarian, but that also didn't pan out.

Schwartz's path to restauranteur in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach was winding, but he leveraged everything he learned to get where he is today. His first career was in clothing sales, and when that ended, he landed in Atlanta working for Waffle House.

He joked that the seven years working for Waffle House equals 14 years of experience because they were open 24 hours. He started as a manager and quickly moved up to supervisor. The knowledge and lessons he learned have carried with him all these years.

Schwartz left Waffle House for an opportunity with a franchise in Mississippi, then Mobile, and soon he had a couple stores in Gulf Shores. He heard chatter that local restaurateur Hazel Scruggs was looking to sell, so he went to talk with her.

He knew what Hazel's price was for the business, and he worked to gather up enough. He even borrowed money from his parents.

"I drove over here from Mobile on that Sunday and said, 'Hazel, I want to thank you for dealing with me. It's been a pleasure meeting you, but I can't do any more than I told you I could do,'" Schwartz said.

Hazel Scruggs is seem receiving an award for her work in the aftermath of Hurricane Frederic in 1979. Hazel's Nook pictured in the background.

To his surprise, she had been thinking about it and sold him the business on his terms.

"That was when I grew up," he said. "That's when I really got focused on what I was doing."

It started with Hazel's Nook in 1980. In 1984, he purchased Hazel's Drive-In in Orange Beach (where Doc's Seafood Shack is now). In 1986, the newly constructed Hazel's Family Restaurant opened on Beach Road; it now houses Cactus Cantina. Shortly after the opening of Hazel's Family Restaurant, he rebranded Hazel's Drive-In to Doc's Seafood Shack and added to the building.

Over the years, he partnered with Jay Schenk and added to the lineup with Jake's Seafood House, Franco's Italian Restaurant, a second Doc's and a restaurant at Zeke's Landing Marina.

Over his 44 years in the business, Schwartz has seen the area grow and businesses change. Schenk bowed out years ago, but Schwartz continues to collaborate with his team, which includes his children. He said he has always tried to be hands-on but that having good people to help has been vital. He said he has two employees who have worked with him for over 30 years.

A couple nuggets of knowledge Schwartz dropped included, "People do what you inspect, not what you expect." The second was, "The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm."

Behind every great man, there is a greater woman, and for Schwartz that is his wife, Sally. She has been with him from the start and while not a front-of-house person, she has been an important sounding board for his ideas over the years.

"She has never told me she didn't want me to go to Biloxi with the boys to gamble. If I needed a nap and to go back to work that night, she never said 'Don't go,'" Schwartz said. "She never stood in the way."

Schwartz said he appreciates Sally's support in all his crazy ideas while she raised their four children.

While he has sold Hazel's Nook to Duck's Diner, which will expand that breakfast/lunch brand from Orange Beach, Schwartz is still working. His company continues to run Doc's Seafood Shack and Oyster Bar and Doc's Seafood and Steaks. The 82-year-old doesn't have plans to slow down with those and is even tossing around the idea of opening something new.