By Scott Buttram
TRUSSVILLE — Mobile’s famed Wintzell’s Oyster House is planning an April opening in Trussville, company spokeswoman Stacey Wellborn told The Tuscaloosa News.
The seafood restaurant opened in Mobile in 1938 and currently has 11 locations in Alabama and a 12th in Pittsburgh, Pa. The nearest restaurant is in Northport, but that location will close at the end of its lease and re-open a few weeks later on Skyland Boulevard in Tuscaloosa, according to the article.
Sources have said Wintzell’s has shown interest in the former Costa’s Barbeque building on Chalkville Mountain Road, but that location has not been confirmed.
The new Tuscaloosa location is just off of Interstate 59 in an area developed by Tuscaloosa businessman Stan Pate, who purchased the Costa’s building in Trussville more than a year ago.
After buying the building, Pate told The Trussville Tribune that he was seeking a high-quality business that would be a good fit for the community to occupy the property. Pate also developed property in Trussville that includes Cracker Barrel, Applebee’s and Lone Star Steakhouse.
According to the company website, the original Wintzell’s location has been open for more than 75 years and is known for their “Oysters-fried, stewed or nude.” Wintzell’s Oyster House was founded in 1938 by J. Oliver Wintzell and initially began as a small, six-stool oyster bar. Since then, the restaurant and brand have grown significantly. Though the Wintzell’s family sold the restaurant in the 1980s, the original décor, complete with walls covered in hundreds of J. Oliver Wintzell’s witty sayings, remains wholly intact.
Wellborn did not immediately return a call seeking comment. We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.