Big Mike’s Offers Free Burgers to Moundville Tornado Relief Crews

Big Mike’s Steakhouse in Moundville offered free burgers to their community Friday after an EF-1 tornado devastated parts of the community earlier in the week. The tornado was estimated to reach wind speeds of 110 miles an hour and cost many people their homes.

After losing power because of the storm, Big Mike’s was out of commission for a day. As soon as the power came back on, the steakhouse employees and several volunteers got to work.

Within an hour, the steakhouse served about 300 hamburgers to the Moundville community.

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In a Facebook post Friday, the steakhouse said they were grilling burgers to thank the power crews, police and firefighters who were helping to clear damage after the storm.

“We were just trying to feed a lot of people who were still doing a lot of cleaning on their house – the cleanup crews, Alabama Power, the tree-service crews, the city of Moundville – just everybody that’s been working their tails off to get everything cleaned,” kitchen manager Michael Martin said. “We’re just trying to feed them and show them our appreciation for all the work they’ve been doing.”

This is not the first time Big Mike’s Steakhouse cooked meals for a community after it experienced severe weather. After the April 27, 2011 tornado leveled much of Tuscaloosa, Big Mike’s workers brought a grill to the old CVS Pharmacy on McFarland Boulevard and cooked hamburgers and hotdogs for those in need.

“It’s kind of been a thing that we’ve been doing since then,” Martin said.

Four years ago the Big Mike’s team traveled to St. Clair, Louisiana and cooked thousands of burgers for the community after savage flooding put many community members' houses underwater. Similarly, in 2018 when Hurricane Michael struck Panama City Beach, the steakhouse supplied hot meals for those affected.

Big Mike’s Steakhouse is a community favorite, and according to the many comments on the free burgers Facebook post, their community service is part of the reason why.

Keep up with Big Mike's Steakhouse by liking their Facebook page here or by visiting their website here.