When business owner and veteran Patrick Hughes sees potential, it's a pretty big deal.

And that's exactly what he sees in his South Tacoma business Jazzy's Café. Hughes' vision for the restaurant is straightforward: he sees the establishment as not only providing great food and service in a customer-focused and friendly environment, but also offering flexibility and innovation to meet customers' needs. Every inch of the café is a labor of love for Hughes, who in late 2010 took a plain and bare warehouse with overgrown landscaping in an industrial district and designed the café, along with his other business ventures housed in the same building and property. He took care and pride in every detail; much of the costs came from Hughes' own pocket.

The idea literally came to him in a dream the evening he saw the building site.

"I just saw potential," Hughes said. "As a man of faith, I said ‘Okay, God: what do I do with this building?'"

He envisioned many things, but a café was one of the ideas that stood out in his mind. When he awoke, he just simply started drawing it out on a piece of paper. When he showed his design to the architect, it was deemed doable.

"Everything just connected," he grinned.

The result is Jazzy's Café, which is named for his granddaughter, Jazzy. The overall complex the café is housed in is named after his mother. It's that atmosphere of family, friendliness, comfort and flexibility that makes the café shine. With a loft and lower floor seating for patrons, it also has a fully equipped private conference room that comfortably seats up to 12 people; a 52-inch screen television with HDMI hook up; a multi-line phone; projection screen; printer; computer access; and free WiFi, all available at very reasonable hourly rates. In fact, the entire café may be used for a variety of purposes, such as meetings, parties, small weddings and more. Great catering menus and friendly staff are available to help make customers' event ideas a reality.

Along with customization, Jazzy's has a commitment to great food at great prices. The café features classic and creative American fare along with generous food portions paired with a multitude of hot and cold beverages, including gourmet coffee drinks. Beer and wine are café staples. Hot items include burgers, hot wings, hot dogs and chili dogs, stuffed baked potatoes, daily soups and a wide variety of breakfast sandwiches. Cold items include wraps, salads and a vast offering of sandwiches to suit all tastes and appetites. Desserts and other treats are available, too.

The most expensive entrée on the menu is $7; all sandwiches are $5. In addition, to pay homage to servicemembers, those who come to the café in uniform will receive an additional $1 off the entrée price. It's one of the many things Hughes does to say thank you to the military community, as it's an important part of who he is.

Hughes spent 28 years in the U.S. Army as a logistics officer. The native Mississippian came to Washington state in 1985 with the military. After, as he puts it, "falling in love with the state," he decided to stay on after retirement. However, "retirement" was hardly in the cards for Hughes. He wanted to give back to the military community and the community at large. Today, in addition to owning Jazzy's, he is the president and CEO of the Hughes Group, a rapidly expanding company with several logistic divisions and capabilities; his offices are adjacent to Jazzy's.

The Hughes Group is passionate and at the ready to support veteran, women and minority-led businesses in a variety of ways. Hughes himself was the Washington state, regional, and national Minority Small Business Person of the Year for 2010. He wants to see and help others realize that dream, too. In his complex, he offers affordable virtual offices and other business tools to give others a hand up.

"None of these kinds of things were available to me when I started doing business. I had to learn the hard way," Hughes said.

Hughes credits his military experience for maintaining a positive atmosphere of teamwork, "stick-to-it-ness," and new and innovative ways to do things for his success.

Just like Jazzy's.

Visit Jazzy's Café at 3701 S. Lawrence St. in Tacoma. Winter hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Summer plans will feature live performances and an outdoor patio area/beer garden. Visit its Facebook page or website at www.jazzyscafe.biz for more information.