The building at Lurleen B. Wallace Boulevard and 27th Street has stood empty since June 2024. That month Buddy's Rib & Steak closed after more than four decades in business. Buddy's opened there in 1978, when R.P. "Buddy" Hall and his wife bought the former Smalley's restaurant. For about two years the building has been one of the most visible vacancies on one of Northport's busiest roads.
It now has a tenant. A-Town Wings is headed there, Big Mike's Steakhouse has a site near Airport Road, and Steak 'n Shake has a corner near the river. All three are restaurants Northport has been hearing about for months. They are also running on three separate clocks, and none of those clocks belongs to the restaurant. A property owner's repair list sets the timing for one. The City of Northport, as the future owner of the building, sets it for another. A partnership of two local business leaders, working a lot near the city limits, sets it for the third.
That changes what "coming soon" means on each of these corners.
The old Buddy's building waits on its landlord first
Patch reported on Oct. 12 that A-Town Wings will open at 2701 Lurleen B. Wallace Blvd. The expected opening is early 2027. The Tuscaloosa News confirmed the address on Oct. 16.
The work runs in a set order, and the restaurant's part comes second. According to Patch, it goes like this:
- The property owner repairs the kitchen flooring, exterior lighting, storefront windows and parking lot, and handles landscaping and other improvements.
- A-Town Wings then installs new cooking equipment, refrigeration and the rest of its restaurant fixtures.
- Only then does an opening date become possible.
Until the first step is finished, the restaurant can't start its own work. So the early-2027 target depends first on a landlord's punch list in a building that has been closed for over two years.
The building is small, about 2,035 square feet with 33 parking spaces. Traffic past it tops 43,000 vehicles a day, and the property owner's side cited that flow between Highway 359 and Highway 82 North as part of the reason the location was chosen, according to Patch.
This isn't a new name for Tuscaloosa County. The Atlanta chain was founded in 2008, has 25 locations across the Southeast, and already runs a restaurant at 2319 University Boulevard East. The Northport location will be its second in the area. AL.com described the menu as wings and Philly cheesesteaks.
Big Mike's waits on a building the city will own
The landlord at the Buddy's site is a private owner. At Big Mike's Steakhouse, the landlord will be the City of Northport.
The steakhouse announced in May that it was moving from Moundville to Northport, WVUA 23 reported. The station said the move came with heavy startup costs for the building, equipment and early operations. In June the Northport City Council approved a development agreement that commits up to $4.8 million in city money to the project. ABC 33/40 reported that the vote passed with one council member opposed.
As ABC 33/40 laid it out on Oct. 20, the arrangement works like this. The partners on the project are Sucarnoochee Investments LLC and Winship LLC. They plan a restaurant of about 6,720 square feet near Airport Road and Jemison Lane. Northport would buy the finished property and lease it back to the business. If the agreement's requirements are met, the operator can buy the property for $100 after 20 years.
That makes City Hall's calendar part of the restaurant's calendar. Each financing step goes through a council vote. The most recent one came on Monday, Oct. 19, when the council unanimously created the Northport Big Mike's Cooperative District.
What the district means at the table
The cooperative district adds a 2% assessment to purchases at Big Mike's, and that money helps pay for the development. Northport Deputy City Attorney Kim King confirmed at the meeting that the charge applies only to customers buying at the restaurant. It does not apply to residents citywide.
ABC 33/40 worked the arithmetic, assuming the 2% applies to the full purchase:
- A $50 dinner carries an extra $1.
- A $100 dinner carries an extra $2.
The meeting didn't detail exactly how the charge will be calculated and collected, so the line on the receipt may look different once the doors open.
Earlier projections called for more than 35 jobs and more than $4.8 million in annual sales. Those figures are projections, not results. Northport Mayor Dale Phillips has pointed to a spring 2027 opening.
Steak 'n Shake waits on a corner without a street number
The third arrival has taken the longest. Tuscaloosa Patch reported that West Alabama businessman Ric Mayers had been trying to bring Steak 'n Shake to the Tuscaloosa area for more than a decade. On his first attempt in 2012, he was told someone in Birmingham held the rights.
This summer Mayers finalized an agreement with the chain and partnered with Tyler Hearing on the project. AL.com reported in July that the original target was the fourth quarter of 2026. The Bama Buzz placed the site at Bridge Avenue and 5th Street, just off Lurleen B. Wallace Boulevard near the Black Warrior River and just inside the Northport city limits. It reported that the lot has no official street address yet and that the restaurant is expected to open in 2027.
The announcement came in a Facebook video from Hearing, which The Bama Buzz quoted:
"A new development. A new adventure. Excited to officially announce that Steak 'n Shake is coming soon to Northport!"
The location ties it to the other two. Bridge Avenue is the south end of the same Lurleen B. Wallace corridor that runs up past the old Buddy's building. For anyone coming off the river crossing toward Historic Downtown Northport, this will be the first of the three they reach.
Reading the three corners together
Put side by side, the three projects show how restaurant growth in Northport is actually paced right now.
| Restaurant | Site | Who is behind the project | Reported timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-Town Wings | 2701 Lurleen B. Wallace Blvd., former Buddy's Rib & Steak | Property owner's repairs, then the restaurant's build-out | Early 2027 |
| Big Mike's Steakhouse | Near Airport Road and Jemison Lane | City of Northport as future owner and landlord, through council votes | Spring 2027, per the mayor |
| Steak 'n Shake | Bridge Avenue and 5th Street | A partnership of local business leaders Ric Mayers and Tyler Hearing | 2027 |
One is reusing a 1978 restaurant building that has to be brought back up to standard. One is built on a public financing deal in which the city owns the building and diners help pay it back. One is a local partnership finally landing a brand after more than ten years of trying.
Each kind of arrangement also shows its progress in a different place. At the Buddy's building, it shows up on site: new storefront glass, working exterior lights, a resurfaced parking lot. For Big Mike's, it shows up first on Northport City Council agendas, because the city is a party to the deal. At Bridge Avenue and 5th Street, it shows up when the lot gets a street number.
The 2% Big Mike's charge is described above as ABC 33/40 reported it. It's general information, not tax or financial advice, so if your situation depends on how an assessment like this applies, confirm it with the right professional.
If you're watching these corners because you live nearby, or because you're wondering how a new restaurant might change your end of Northport, we're glad to talk through what's happening in your area. Caitlin Tubbs Wilson has followed this side of the river for years and is always happy to share what we're seeing. Start Your Real Estate Journey with a conversation whenever it suits you.
