Beloved Buddy’s Building Gets New Life as A-Town Wings Eyes Early 2027 Opening

The iconic Buddy’s Rib and Steak Restaurant brought area residents together for almost 50 years for burgers, steaks, ribs and much more in Northport, but it closed in 2024. The blue-roofed, 2,035-square-foot building on Lurleen Wallace Boulevard has been sitting empty since — but the wait is over. A new tenant, A-Town Wings, is on the way early next year.

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Founded in Atlanta in 2008 by two people who call themselves “passionate chicken shop owners,” A-Town Wings is not unfamiliar to Tuscaloosa and Northport residents. They currently have a location at 2319 University Boulevard East in Tuscaloosa in Alberta attached to the large Chevron there, and 24 other locations across the Southeast.

Right Space Commercial, headquartered in Tuscaloosa, represented owner Phillip Guy in the search for a new occupant.

Guy bought Buddy’s from founder Buddy Hall and his wife in 2010 and had been searching for someone to continue the tradition of Buddy’s Rib and Steak. When that proved unsuccessful, he decided to close.

“It has been a great experience for me to own and help run this business for the past 14 years,” he told the Tuscaloosa Thread in 2024. “I have made many lifelong friends with many of my customers (way too many to name) as well as many of my staff that has accompanied me on this journey.”

During the days leading up to closure, Guy said he heard from many Northport residents about how much Buddy’s had become a part of their lives. Now A-Town Wings hopes to carry that customer loyalty forward when it opens next year.

Crews are already working to bring the building back to life.