From An Acre: Creating A Restaurant Of Investment
Words by Cynthia Williford | Photography by Hueman Collective
“I hope, for me personally, that Acre is that place that nurtures growth for the future of the restaurant industry in this area, that Acre will be known for helping kick start what is going to be an amazing culture that builds in the Auburn-Opelika area…”
He jokes with a couple dining by the window about the downpour outside while she greets a couple girls at the host stand who meet her with an emphatic, “Well you look great today!” You can see it in the way the staff interacts—they’re not nervous when they walk in because the owners walking around the restaurant is an everyday occurrence here. They don’t seem intimidated or pressured because this is the culture they’ve built. The staff is excited to see them because they’ve been invested in.
This is the environment that Acre owners David and Christin Bancroft have built into the fabric of their one-acre lot in the heart of Auburn, Alabama. Investment is woven into every part of the farm-to-table restaurant, which was built on an old kudzu-filled, vacant lot in August 2013. Three blocks from the iconic Toomer’s Corner, the restaurant is steeped in its roots, seeking to “interpret the complex, traditional tastes of the Deep South in a totally fresh and modern way,” as David says on the restaurant’s website.
Whether it’s through the way they develop their employees (or, as they say, their “team”) or through the planks of wood that make up the restaurant’s walls and tables that have been repurposed from past generations’ farms, this place is more than the two of them. David and Christin have a legacy of investors—who gave far more than money—to thank for where they’re at, and they’re making sure they pass on that inheritance.
From The Inside Out
“Building Acre was much more than building a restaurant or a place of business; this is an extension of our home,” David explains. He sits in front of two solid wood doors covering the hearth in a wing of the restaurant beautifully lit by floor-to-ceiling windows.” A long farm-style table is just within eyesight through a window to the adjoining room. The wood that makes up the fireplace doors? From David’s grandfather’s farm in Hartford, Alabama. The wood for the table? Donated from the owner of Randall Farms in Beauregard, Alabama.
Looking up on the other side of the restaurant hangs a chandelier fashioned out of a basket—David’s grandfather’s first fishing basket from the Great Depression days when nothing was thrown away and everything had purpose. With the expertise of his cousin’s interior design work, each aspect of the building was carefully devised to incorporate heritage.
“The main reason that Christin and I (built the building) the way we did was to honor our family and the idea of family,” David says. He references the wooden beams along the ceiling that used to sit as trees on his grandfather’s farm and the wood paneling on the walls that came from a more than 100-year-old general store about 20 miles southeast of Acre in Crawford, Alabama. “It’s fun now to walk around and point to every single aspect of the building and have a reason why we did that.”
The business truly is a family affair, which has extended to include the family they’ve found in the Auburn-Opelika community. Long before Acre’s doors opened, David, a self-trained chef, emphasized that years of training and mentoring happened at the stoves of other kitchens around town under other chefs’ guidance. And when the two-year process of building Acre became David’s full-time job and money was tight, former Auburn University linebacker Will Herring and his father-in-law, Mike Thompson, were working to kick start the Auburn University Club’s restaurant and invited David to work with them.
David looks back on it now as proof of the power of prayer.
“The members of the community in this area supported me and followed me and pushed me and helped me and protected me and inherited Christin and did the same thing for her,” David says. “When we first started, this was a community of friends for us, but now it’s grown into a community of family.”
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“When we first started, this was a community of friends for us, but now it’s grown into a community of family.”
Spreading The Investment
With a foundation forged with the help of community, David and Christin are five years into finding ways to pour into those around them. From the kitchen to the front door, team members have room for creativity and a voice in how things are done.
“We go about our day making sure that our team feels invested in, that they feel a part of our story and that they get to express their talents and what they want to do,” David continues. “So, most of our day is spent helping to build a stronger Auburn, helping build longevity. …We’re also making sure that our staff has growth potential and making sure they understand and are connected with their food and why they are serving it.”
Christin joined the Acre team full time in 2015, and since, David says her specialty has been honing every bit of outreach to become as effective as possible. Acre partners with local organizations like Story Book Farms, March of Dimes, Youth for Christ and several others, serving through food and through “giving with happy hearts.” In recent years, the Bancrofts began the Alabama Oyster Social, a nonprofit and annual fundraiser that contributes to research and work done at the Auburn University Shellfish Lab to assist the oyster farming industry.
“We have a unique opportunity to reach people through food,” Christin says. “Everybody loves to eat, so (we’re) using that to make an impact and reach people. …I feel like we’ve been given so much here that it is our duty to give it back.”
From staff to the community at large, the Bancrofts hope to leave a legacy that sustains positive change in the Auburn-Opelika area. They hope this investment extends far beyond their tenure at the restaurant.
“I hope, for me personally, that Acre is that place that nurtures growth for the future of the restaurant industry in this area, that Acre will be known for helping kick start what is going to be an amazing culture that builds in the Auburn-Opelika area, in our food systems, in the way that our community orders food, the way that they look at menus, the way that they expect quality, and I hope that not only do we produce chefs that go out and continue that program and make it their own, but that the community helps continue that as well.”
As for today, David and Christin thrive on being a part of the community from their special occasions to the everyday, and they don’t plan on going anywhere.
“I feel like once you’re engrained and once you’re a part of it, Auburn’s so unique and special, they’re just not going to let us go,” Christin says. “We’re not moving. We’re here.”
You can stop by Acre at 210 E. Glenn Avenue in Auburn, AL. They’re open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can visit for dinner Monday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. Make a reservation and find out more about what they do at acreauburn.com.
David and Christin are growing their investment by opening a second restaurant this Fall with Chef Caleb Fischer – Bow and Arrow. On November 5th, Bow and Arrow will open its doors to the community featuring Texas-style BBQ with Southern accents. Be sure to join them for their opening, November 5th at 1977 E. Samford Avenue Auburn, AL.
