Ownership changes hands at Skins & Bubba’s

A new year can bring about changes.

That is true at the Chipley restaurant Skins & Bubba’s, where ownership has switched from the Obert family to the Johnson family–specifically, Paige and Tyler Johnson. The change officially began January 1, 2024.

The Obert family oversaw the restaurant for over 10 years.

Skins & Bubba’s announced the change in a Facebook post on December 31, 2023.

“When the clock strikes midnight tonight Skins & Bubba’s will enter into a new era,” the restaurant’s post said. “We know there has been many rumors going around town and many have asked if we were selling.”

Paige and Tyler Johnson are the new owners of Chipley restaurant Skins & Bubba’s, which was previously owned by the Obert family for over 10 years. [CONTRIBUTED]

Paige Johnson was hired at Skins & Bubba’s over the summer as a server, according to the post.

In an interview, Paige shed more light on the acquisition.

“It started off as a joking thing and then (we) just took the chance and decided to buy the place anyways,” she said. “I grew up in this industry. Since I was 13, I’ve been in a restaurant. My mom was a server. I grew up in restaurants with her. I worked in the back with her.”

Paige started her restaurant career off by busing tables.

“I’ve done it literally my whole life,” Paige said of her experience.

Acquiring ownership of Skins & Bubba’s is “good, awkward, scary, fun,” she said.

“There’s tons of emotions,” Paige said. “We’re going to improve a little bit. Not much change, honestly.”

Paige said she decided to acquire the restaurant since she “fell in love with it.”

“I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for the past six years and I come here to have something to do,” she said. “I just love the people here. I love this place. I love meeting new people constantly. I love the rush of it.”

Customers can expect a “happy, fun, family-ran environment,” according to Paige.

The Facebook post noted Skins & Bubba’s survived “a fire that demolished the entire kitchen in 2016, the after math of Hurricane Michael in 2018, Covid-19 in 2020+, the economy of 2023, and much more.”

“There’s so many days we would drive by the restaurant and see the parking lot full and people pulling in and just thank the Lord each car pulling in meant we would pay rent that month,” the post said. “We would pay the food bill. We would pay taxes & payroll. We would get to pay our bills at home and support our family.”

The post garnered plenty of reactions and comments from community members. Paige said she was not expecting that.

“I guess with such an established name, I can understand it,” she said.