At first glance, Mike Jasper might appear to be all meat and potatoes.

But every now and then, the Auburn businessman likes to sprinkle some new spice on his life.

These days, Jasper dares to be different as he returns to the only workplace he has ever known – a busy restaurant.

“It’s all I know,” Jasper said during a break behind the counter of his new eatery, Chicago Willy’s, off Auburn Way North. “I enjoy this. It’s good to be back.”

Surrounded by palm trees, big-screen TVs and brightly colored walls, Jasper sits at ease in a tropical shirt, listening to the beat of techno music. His young crew keeps busy, taking and preparing food orders, as the lunch crowd trickles in.

Glancing at his new surroundings, the longtime restaurateur recalled wondering not so long ago if he would ever get back into the game.

Health problems, brought on by his battle with Type 2 diabetes, forced him to sell his popular establishment of 25 years – the full-service Jasper’s in Kent – in July 2007.

“I was 58 and could barely walk,” Jasper said of the heavy physical toll the demanding job took on his body. “It made it difficult to manage a restaurant and bar.”

Jasper thought his days as a hands-on entrepreneur were over. It’s a racket he knew all too well, working for various restaurant chains in the area. He began as a 15-year-old dish washer then tended bar to help pay his way through college. Eventually, he became an owner and made a good living for his wife and two daughters, who have lived in Auburn for 14 years.

Jasper’s grew into something big and rewarding, but it eventually wore on him, so he decided to get out.

But the time away restored his health through rehabilitation and re-ignited his drive to roll up the sleeves again.

Restless in retirement, his hiatus was brief. With his diabetes under control, Jasper found his feet again.

“At my age, no one was going to hire me, so I figured if I wanted to go back to work, I’d have to get back into business,” he said. “I’d rather be doing this than staying at home.”

When Skipper’s went out of business in Auburn, Jasper got his chance. He bought the spot and brought a different playbook.The bright colors of the building, which have upset some of the well-established neighbors, set Chicago Willy’s apart.

But Jasper wanted to be different, with a new name, look and menu filled with freshly-made gourmet hamburgers, classic hot dogs and other favorites. Jasper also brought in some of his homemade recipes.

“I want to set myself off,” he said of his place. “I thought it would be more fun this way.”

Willy is Jasper’s grandmother’s maiden name, and Chicago just happened to be a catchy city name. Combined, it became the source of a character Jasper conjured up.

Chicago Willy can be found on a colorful mural splashed on an interior wall at the eatery. It shows Chicago Willy leaving the Windy City in search of surf, sand, sun – and a good hamburger.

For Jasper, it’s good to be back.

“This is what I always wanted to do,” he said.

“Yeah, I love it. I missed it.”

We’re open

• Business: Chicago Willy’s

• Location: 1202 Auburn Way N.

• Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m., daily. Drive-thru open 10:30 a.m.-

10 p.m. daily

• Specializing: Gourmet hamburgers, Chicago-style hot dogs