One of West Alabama’s Oldest Restaurants for Sale in Northport, Owner Hopes to Keep Buddy’s Brand Alive

One of the oldest restaurants in West Alabama is for sale, although it has not yet closed and the owner hopes to find a buyer who will keep things as they are.

Buddy's Rib and Steak opened in 1978 when longtime local restaurateur Buddy Hall and his wife bought out a similar restaurant, Smalley's, on Lurleen Wallace Boulevard in Northport.

It has already changed hands once when the Halls sold the restaurant to Phillip Guy in 2010. Buddy, whose health was part of the reason for the sale, died two years later.

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Now, after 13 years at the helm, Guy is looking to sell the restaurant again through JacQuan Winters, a Realtor with Pritchett-Moore Real Estate who specializes in commercial sales.

Winters told the Thread that although the restaurant is for sale, it has not permanently closed and Guy hopes to find someone who will keep the famous Buddy's Rib & Steak alive.

Included in the $1 million listing price is the entire restaurant building and the equipment inside. Winters said more than 42,000 vehicles pass the lot on a daily basis,

The Buddy's brand has become synonymous with hearty southern breakfasts, great steaks and an eye for tradition, both in their rarely changing menu and in the Crimson Tide memorabilia that adorns the eatery.

After 45 years, it is also one of the oldest restaurants in West Alabama, as established as Dreamland or the Waysider, and Guy and Winters hope to find the right new owner to keep the doors open and the name alive even longer.

For more information on the property, call JacQuan Winters at Pritchett Moore Real Estate, and for more exclusive stories from the restaurant and retail beat, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.