A month into new management at a popular local restaurant, regulars at the establishment may not notice any difference as the new owners have both been working there for the better part of a decade.

Bob Kelley, who had owned the Tally Ho Restaurant and Lounge for 33 years, recently sold the landmark establishment to his daughter Renee Wilkerson and her husband, Paul.

Looking back on his time as the owner of the Tally Ho, Kelley said it has been an enjoyable experience.

“I haven’t worked a day since I’ve been here,” Kelley said. “When you work a job that’s not like work, it’s really enjoyable. I found something that challenged me, let me be creative, allowed me to make a living at it, and I made great friends over the years.”

Kelley, who has a background in restaurant management and consulting, said his favorite part of the work at the Tally Ho has been interacting with the patrons who stream through the door.

“I worked the room and you find out who they are and where they are from,” Kelley said. “They might be from some place I’ve been and that starts the conversation and that really make them so comfortable. I’ve had so much fun.”

Renee Wilkerson said she is looking forward to running the restaurant with her husband and meeting more interesting people from near and far.

“I really like meeting everybody,” Renee said. “You can meet somebody new every day working here.”

Renee also said it will be nice to have someone so experienced in the business just a phone call away when a question arises.

“It will be extremely helpful for both of us to be able to ask questions of my dad,” Renee said.

Kelley said he has no doubt that the couple will do great things to keep the restaurant and lounge a destination for the people of Selma.

“They’ve already done things I never could do,” Kelley said. “They were born and raised here, I was the out-of-towner, so they know everybody. Everybody shows up when they promote an event here. They’ve brought bands in to perform at the lounge, and I never thought of doing that. I missed out of 30 years of music in the lounge.”

Paul said along with live music in the lounge, he and Renee are hoping to expand upon the work his father-in-law has done to make the Tally Ho what it is today.

“Selma is a small town and a lot of people will go out of town for sushi and specialty dishes, so we have started toying with having special nights every week, and we want to expand upon that,” Paul said.

“We are excited to use what we learned from him and build upon it with some new ideas.”

After watching the couple work under him for nearly 10 years, Kelley said this week he has no doubt they will succeed in their new roles.

“I have the greatest confidence in their ability,” Kelley said. “They are smart and hard working people, and when you have both of those traits, you give yourself a chance to succeed.”