NORTHPORT, AL — A familiar Northport restaurant property is getting a new lease on life, as A-Town Wings plans to open a location in the former Buddy's Rib & Steak building on Lurleen B. Wallace Boulevard.
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According to an announcement from Right Space Commercial, the restaurant chain is preparing to move into the property at 2701 Lurleen B. Wallace Boulevard., with an anticipated opening date of early 2027.
Right Space Commercial represented the property owner in the lease transaction, while affiliated company Druid City Properties is overseeing the owner's portion of the renovations.
The new restaurant will mark A-Town Wings' second location in the Tuscaloosa area, joining its existing restaurant at 2319 University Boulevard East.
This also represents new chapter for a building long associated with Buddy's Rib & Steak, which closed in June 2024, after more than four decades in business.
The longtime Northport establishment was a fixture in the local restaurant scene for decades before shutting its doors, leaving the prominent commercial property vacant.
Founded in Atlanta in 2008, A-Town Wings has expanded to 25 locations across the Southeast.
Delana Roe, chief operating officer and associate broker at Right Space Commercial, said the Northport location was selected in part because of its accessibility and surrounding customer base.
"This location gives A-Town Wings an opportunity to better serve Northport residents while capturing significant commuter and pass-through traffic traveling between Highway 359 and Highway 82 North," Roe said.
Right Space Commercial says the approximately 2,035-square-foot building sits at the intersection of Lurleen B. Wallace Boulevard and 27th Street.
It includes 33 parking spaces and traffic counts exceeding 43,000 vehicles daily.
Before the restaurant opens, the property owner plans to complete repairs to the kitchen flooring, exterior lighting, storefront windows and parking lot, along with landscaping and other improvements.
A-Town Wings will then install new cooking equipment, refrigeration systems and other restaurant fixtures.
Buddy's originally opened in 1978 after R.P. "Buddy" Hall and his wife acquired the former Smalley's restaurant.
The Hall family then sold the business to Phillip Guy in 2010.
Over the years, Buddy's became a popular gathering spot for breakfast customers, families and Alabama football fans.
"Buddy's wasn't just another restaurant building," Roe said. "It was a place that a lot of people in this community remember, and there's a certain level of nostalgia attached to it."
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