Lynne Grove wants her customers to have a great experience at Woody's II, not just great food.
"We offer quality food and quality atmosphere," said Grove, the owner and manager of the eatery, located on Pleasant Valley Boulevard in Altoona. "I love meeting people; I love establishing relationships. We treat you like family. We want customers to think they received food and service that is second to none in town."
Grove's hoagie shop was an offspring of Woody's I - which is now Luigetta's - on East 3rd Avenue. The original owner, Woody Adelsberger, opened Woody's II in 1996.
"I worked for him, and he asked me if I wanted to buy it when he got out of the business," Grove said.
She partnered with Angela Rowell to buy the shop in 1997. Rowell later married and moved to the Harrisburg area, leaving Grove as sole owner.
Woody's II offers an extensive assortment of hoagies and salads, as well as sides such as French fries, breaded cauliflower, breaded zucchini and breaded mushrooms. It also offers daily specials and just began extending a kids' menu.
"The cheesesteak is probably my favorite," Grove, of Tyrone, said. "That, and the breaded zucchini."
The shop uses Boar's Head brand meats on all of its hoagies and also slices it for customers to take home.
Woody's II also delivers anywhere in Altoona, and it offers a fundraising program.
Grove also works at another full-time job, so she leaves much responsibility for daily operations to her staff of seven employees.
"I have a great staff," she said. "They do exactly what I ask, and they are good with customers. I couldn't do this without them."
Grove also receives support in the shop from her daughter, Rebekah Beyer.
"She helps manage, makes the schedules, goes shopping for me. We do it together," Grove said. "She's a real, real help."
Bonnie Kelley of Altoona has worked at Woody's II for 10 years, and she loves her job.
"It works with my time with my kids," she said. "I still have one in school, and I am able to be there to get her off to school and there when she gets home."
"Plus, the boss is good," she laughed.
Kelley, who also worked at the old J.C. Penney restaurant in the Logan Valley Mall before getting married, is a big fan of the grilled chicken at Woody's II.
"Personally, I like our grilled chicken," Kelley said, "in the salad or on the grilled chicken hoagies."
"It's all good, quality food," she added. "It's a friendly atmosphere. It's nice and clean. We know our customers very well."
Tanika Miller of Altoona has worked for Grove for six years "and counting." She enjoys helping the customers, too.
"You do get to know them very well," she said. "You get to know their orders by heart."
As well as a friendly atmosphere, Grove's faith is also evident in the sandwich shop, with instrumental hymns playing over the sound system and a rack of gospel tracts available for customers to take and read.
"I see this as a ministry, too," Grove said. "A lot of churches do our fundraisers, and we get letters all of the time for donations."
Ultimately, Woody's II is a labor of love for Grove.
"As tired as I can get, when I get in here, I get energized to make it the best it can be," she said. "I want it to be a place where people can sit and enjoy lunch or dinner.
"It's a really great place. I work hard to make sure it's a really great place. I enjoy it."
