Meet Jeff Worley! Jeff and wife Donna are the owners of The Collegiate on the downtown Gainesville square. Jeff is a lifelong Gainesville resident and began working at The Collegiate when he was 12 years old and purchased the restaurant in 2008 after it had been closed down.
He said he purchased The Collegiate because he loved the restaurant as a child and it was just “part of the growing up experience” in Gainesville.
Since then he has carried on the traditional of original owners George and Margene Brown and their historic diner.
Did you know that USA Today picked The Collegiate the best burger joint in the state of Georgia?
Yep, you heard that right! In 2013, USA Today released the 51 top burger joints in the country and The Collegiate represented the state of Georgia.
The Collegiate has been a mainstay on the square since 1940s and that’s reflected in the food and the décor. From the black and white checkered floor to the old, diner-style stools at the counter. The old photos on the walls serve as a photo history of Gainesville, which just adds to the ambiance. The Collegiate is the kind of place when you walk in that Jeff and Donna know you by name and your favorite items on the menu.
We want to thank Jeff for recently sitting down with Abernathy Cochran Group Realtor Chris Romberg for an interview.
Question: What led you to your current career today?
Answer: “Being a kid man! I love The Collegiate when I was a kid and growing up and that was part of the growing up experience. I started working there when I was 12 years old with Mr. Brown, the original owner.”
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County and what do you love there?
A: “Smokehouse BBQ, I love that barbecue.”
Q: Who is the most interesting person that you have met in Hall County?
A: “Probably Cecil Boswell and his stories from WWII and he had so much to talk about.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
A: “Probably to the New England area, Kennebunkport and the fishing villages.”
Q: What is the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
A: “The first movie I can remember seeing was ‘Bad News Bears’ at the Royal Theater.”
Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people?
A: “The Golden Rule: treat others as you want to be treated.”
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “The Florida Keys I would love to explore the southern tip of Florida for a few weeks.”
Q: What is your favorite music/three band you would like to see? (dead or alive)
A: “Jimmy Buffett, Contemporary Christian music and Chris Stapelton.”
Q: What former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Hall County?
A: “L & K Cafeteria. That used to be where people gathered before the Longstreet Days.”
Q: Choosing anyone alive and a non-relative: with whom would you love to have lunch with? And where?
A: “President Donald Trump or Warren Buffett.”
Q: What is your favorite thing about Hall County?
A: “I love the fact that you have about anything you want to do between mountains, beach and lake within a few hours drive.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?
A: “Doing what I’m doing now.”
Q: Even for friends and family, what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A: “I am an ordained Baptist minister and pastored for over eight years. I still do a lot of ministry on the side with Good News at Noon.”
Q: What three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
A: “Safety, Comfort, Peace.”
