Photo by Jon Anderson.
Justin Gober, left and Joseph Hoskin are the owners at Diplomat Deli in Vestavia Hills.
When Joseph Hoskin and Justin Gober bought the Diplomat Deli in the Park South Plaza shopping center in 2016, they decided they didn’t really need to change a whole lot.
“It wasn’t broken. It didn’t need our fixing,” Hoskin said. “We just kind of greased the wheels.”
Diplomat Deli had been around since 1982 and was doing well; the previous owner was just ready to retire, Hoskin said.
Hoskin had been eating at Diplomat Deli since he moved to Hoover in 1994, and acquiring the restaurant gave him a chance to buy something he actually liked.
He’s been in the restaurant or bar business since he was 14, including 11 ½ years as general manager of the Innisfree Irish Pub in Birmingham’s Lakeview community and previous stints at Johnny Ray’s BBQ, Yankee Pizzeria and restaurants in Hawaii.
Diplomat Deli specializes in sandwiches, soups and salads. “Our Reubens are our most popular sandwich,” Hoskin said. “We do a good Philly and a good muffuletta. And then our chili is pretty well famous. It’s seasonal, and it starts back the last weekend in September.”
Hoskin’s favorite is the grilled double deli, which has pastrami, corned beef, Swiss cheese and mustard on grilled rye bread.
After buying the restaurant, Hoskin and Gober added live music on the outdoor patio every Friday night and a live trivia competition every other Wednesday night, led by Hoover High English teacher Reed Lochamy.
Lunch is a big portion of sales, but the restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“We have a very loyal following, fan base,” Hoskin said. “We see a lot of the same faces on the same day every week. We’re a Tuesday lunch spot for some people who eat the same thing every Tuesday.”
The restaurant is located at 1425 Montgomery Highway, Suite 101.
Find out more at diplomatdeli.com.
