By Sarah Stephens
Elmore Autauga News
With a large tent, chairs and microphones set on the north side of the future location of Big Mike’s Steakhouse Monday, Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley and Millbrook Project Manager Stuart Peters were happy to share the plans for the building which will undergo complete renovation. The business could be in operation as early as August, officials said.
The popular restaurant will fill the former Welcome Food Pantry location on Main Street. Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley said there are a lot of people to thank.
That included the owners of the future business Mike Cole, Scott Powell and Caine Conway, their associates, city staff, Economic Development Department, and the Millbrook Downtown Redevelopment Authority just to name a few.
A particularly special person that helped make this possible is Jeff Rouzie, a former player for Paul “Bear” Bryant, and later a coach with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Today Rouzie is the Director of Economic Development for the City of Foley. He has walked the path, assisting Mayor Kelley and others, as the vision of landing the steakhouse in Millbrook became a reality.
“Their (owners) business model just blew me away,” Mayor Al Kelley said of Big Mike’s Steakhouse.
“If you are the manager at this location, or any location, you are in business with (the three owners) and they are with you and they stick with you the whole time.”
As the business sign was about to be revealed, Mayor Kelley explained what the future business will look like.
“You will see a building rendering,” Kelley said. “That front door that you see will be right here, outdoor seating will be right here. You are sitting in what will be part of the parking lot.”
Kelley then gave a bit of history of the partners, that had the idea of going into smaller towns and making a big difference. “This is going to be mind-blowing for Millbrook and this area. These guys have always been together for 30 years. The toughest business in the world to run is a partnership. Everyone has their own ideas. But these guys have done a terrific job.”
Kelley then entertained the crowd with the story of how the city landed this famous restaurant.
“Jeff Rouzie called Economic Development Director Ann Harper one day a few days in advance and asked if we would like to meet the owners of Big Mike’s Steakhouse. Of course, she said yes.”
The plan was to show them the 17 Springs development, thinking that is where they would want to be located.
“Jeff called and told me ‘Now Mayor, these are just good old country boys. They are going to show up with their boots, their blue jeans and probably their shirt tails hanging out of their shirts.’”
Kelley said that was accurate, adding when “the boys” arrived, they were hungry, but agreed to go look at 17 Springs for a possible location first.
“I had done a little research and found out they have never built a new building. They always go into a community that they can make a difference in. They remodel, revamp, or whatever. They want to make a difference in a town like ours.”
After the tour, Kelley said they were impressed. The crew headed over to Smoke House to eat some chicken wings.
“It was a beautiful day, and we sat there eating chicken wings and getting to know each other. Before we left, I said I had one more place I wanted to show them,” Kelley said.
He took them to the old Welcome building, warning them it was an old building that needed a lot of work.
Kelley said that Scott Powell’s eyes got big. They were taken into the building, walking and talking.
Kelley said the men continued to walk around the building, while he went back to work. However, through is office window he saw the men hanging around the building. He later called Jeff Rouzie and asked how he thought it went.
Rouzie told Kelley, “I think that building was a winner.”
Kelley said working with the partners has been very enjoyable, they are first-class businessmen and good people.
Big Mike is in charge of the restaurant and cooking department, while Caine and Scott handle the business end of the partnership. All three make frequent trips to all of their establishments and visit with guests.
With that, the City’s Project Manager Stuart gave a description of what the future of the building holds.
“First thing, I know what everyone wants to know. We are going to keep the mural,” Peters said to loud applause. “We are going to save the structure of this building. We are at the side entrance now, but it will be the front main entrance when we get done.”
He said that Main Street is a major thoroughfare, and there will be great parking spaces around the building, as well as outside seating.
“This is a big deal for downtown Millbrook. Big Mike’s is a destination restaurant. It will pull from the River Region, throughout the state, as well as locally.”
Peters said he believes the restaurant could have a 200-person seating capacity. The building is 5,600 square feet. There will be a modern kitchen at the back of the building.
“When you walk in, to your left, there will be a nice bar area. We will have windows on the front facing Main Street. We are saving the mural, because Big Mike’s wanted that saved because that is a part of the history of downtown Millbrook.”
“When you go inside, think of modern and rustic. There will be a gable roof to replace the flat roof. There will be booths around the perimeter, and table seating in the middle. There will be ample restrooms,” Peters said. “I think it will be a major draw. I know our area is excited about it.”
Mayor Kelley said city officials have been looking for a catalyst to jumpstart new development downtown for a long time. He said the owners’ vision of what the old building could become, fell right in line for the dreams of city officials.
“Six months ago, I was going tear it down. But we didn’t want to lose that mural. I am glad we didn’t. This building was the first drugstore when I was growing up….Cook’s Drugs,” he said, adding the Cook family was glad to hear the building will be saved.
Kelley continued, “This area will be thriving in a few years. There is already a lot of traffic that goes through, but they are just up and down the road. They will be stopping, maybe at an ice cream shop, or whatever else someone wants to build in the future.”
Mike Cole addressed the crowd to compliment Millbrook on a beautiful city, and how excited his team is to open a new business here.
Following the reception, meet and greet was held at the Millbrook Chamber and Economic Development building.
So, expect to see groundwork beginning soon. Expect to see other businesses announcing they are coming, not just to downtown, but to be a part of the massive 17 Springs project as well. Stay tuned.
The first serious discussions about Big Mike’s Steakhouse started here in the Mayor’s office. From there it was a trip to 17 Springs, Smokehouse BBQ for chicken wings, and then a tour of the former Welcome Food Pantry building. The building made a huge impression, as the owners prefer to repurpose older buildings and keep history alive. They even asked that the mural on the south side of the building remain.
