Bud & Alley's 25th Anniversary Celebration Sunday May 15, 2011 4pm

[Teresa]

From the second sand bar or the top of the town...
Bud & Alley's might just be the center of the universe

A lot has changed over along Scenic Highway 30A over the years.
Luckily, a few things have stayed the same.

Good Food, Good People, Good Times in the perfect Location

Bud & Alley's... A beloved institution in the heart of Seaside, Florida

We want to thank our loyal patrons, friends, neighbors, locals, tourists and anyone who has enjoyed a delicious meal or watched the sun dip into the Gulf of Mexico over the past quarter of a century.

Please join us on Sunday May 15 from 4pm to sunset for our 25th Anniversary Celebration.

Enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres

Raise a toast of Champagne and South Walton's new namesake brew, Grayton Beer, as the sun dips below the horizon and the 1888 cast-iron bell rings in the next chapter of this landmark waterfront restaurant and rooftop bar.

 

[kathydwells]

Sure wish I could be there. Have had many FUNN times there. Congratulations to 25 years. Hope there is many more to come!

 

[Beach Runner]

Can't be there. Have to give an exam in the AM.

I hope Dave will have some t-shirts made for sale. BTW I was there the first Labor Day that they were open. Love B&A, Tarpon Club, Taco Bar (had dinner there last night), and Pizza Bar (had dinner there Thursday night).

Thanks, Dave, for enriching the SoWal experience with your restaurants.

 

[Teresa]

Congratulations B&A!!!

good words by Lynn Nesmith...

‘CULINARY PIONEERS': Bud & Alley's celebrates 25 summers of ‘good food, good friends, good times' on May 15


May 11, 2011 6:10 PM

Lynn Nesmith, Advertorial special to The Sun
Certain places possess their own sense of style and timeless appeal. Bud & Alley’s is one such place. For a quarter of century, Bud & Alley’s has been a favorite destination for fine dining or a refreshing cocktail at sunset. But Bud & Alley’s is much more than a typical restaurant or beach bar.

It’s a beloved landmark in the town of Seaside. It’s the setting of too many memories to count. It’s a scene that feels familiar year after year. With its position at the midpoint of Scenic Highway 30A, Bud & Alley’s helps make South Walton the loveable and livable community that it is today.

“Bud & Alley's connection to Seaside and the entire 30A community has been strong from the beginning and continues today,” says owner Dave Rauschkolb, who founded the restaurant 25 years ago with Scott Witchoski.
Seaside was very different place that summer of 1986. The town consisted of the post office, an outdoor market, a few dozen houses on Tupelo Street, and a pair of simple wooden cottages, one of which would become Bud & Alley’s.

“The modest building was tucked into the existing Gulf scrub like a lonely outpost beckoning to all and it seemed to be saying ‘a stop here just might be worth your time.’ ” recalls Rauschkolb.
Seaside has grown up and changed over the years, and so has Bud & Alley’s. And how true that first impression turned out to be. It’s pretty remarkable that a restaurant started by a pair of 24-year-old surfing buddies and named for a cat and a dog would establish an enduring legacy and a formula for lasting success. But that’s exactly what happened.

"When we opened Bud & Alley’s, there were only five places to get a bite to eat on 30A, now there are over a hundred,” recalls Rauschkolb.

From the beginning, Bud & Alley’s embraced an honest approach to coastal dining focusing on fresh local seafood, a desire for authenticity and a respect for regional influences. Striking the ideal middle ground between serious kitchen and coastal nonchalance seems to be second nature.

Over the past 25 years, Bud & Alley’s has gradually expanded its original cracker cottages with a gracious dining room, a series of friendly porches, a gazebo, and courtyard. Upstairs the rooftop bar is the perfect marriage of neighborhood beach bar and classic cocktail haven with panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico taking center stage.

“The sunsets along our coast are so beautiful, we felt they deserved to be celebrated at Bud & Alley’s,” Rauschkolb explains.

A cast-iron bell from an 1888 steam train occupies a prominent corner of the bar and is rung with glee right on schedule as the sun dips below the horizon. The daily ritual quickly became a beloved Seaside tradition.
Rauschkolb readily acknowledges that being in Seaside virtually from the beginning and playing an active role in town building was a unique opportunity.

“We have been blessed with so many loyal patrons, an exceptional location, and the privilege to be culinary pioneers along 30A,”says Rauschkolb. “Now it is our time to say thank you to so many people who made it all possible.”

On Sunday May 15 from 4 p.m. to sunset, Bud & Alley’s invites friends, neighbors, tourists and locals to enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and raise a toast of champagne and South Walton's new namesake brew, Grayton Beer.

“Our motto from day one was ‘good food, good people, good times’ and it still holds true today,” Rauschkolb says. “Please join us as we ring the bell to mark the end of a special day and set out to write the next chapter in the history of Bud & Alley’s.”

For more information about the anniversary party or to make dinner reservations, call 850-231-5900 or visit www.budandalleys.com

The Walton Sun

 

[Kurt]

Quite a good crowd and some neat stories. Thanks for the food and the memories Dave! And for the free Grayton Beer. mmmmmmmmmmmmm

The rooftop bar is being expanded as an open deck and should be finished soon.

 

[DD]

Quite a good crowd and some neat stories. Thanks for the food and the memories Dave! And for the free Grayton Beer. mmmmmmmmmmmmm

The rooftop bar is being expanded as an open deck and should be finished soon.

Hallelujah! That rooftop bar tends to get just a tad crowded. But, it's always so funn!!
Happy Anniversary B&A's!!

 

[Lake View Too]

Happy Birthday B&A! When the main dining area was just under construction, sometime in the mid-eighties, Robert and Daryl started the Seaside Cinema Series, showing movies, maybe once a week (since it was rather primitive in those days). The first movie ever shown was in B&A's unfinished dining room. We sat on boxes.Does anybody remember what that first movie was?

 

[Kurt]

Happy Birthday B&A! When the main dining area was just under construction, sometime in the mid-eighties, Robert and Daryl started the Seaside Cinema Series, showing movies, maybe once a week (since it was rather primitive in those days). The first movie ever shown was in B&A's unfinished dining room. We sat on boxes.Does anybody remember what that first movie was?

The Harry Truman Show?

 

[thirdworldtravel]

Congrats to Bud and Alley's! Always great food. Hope to get back in in the not too distant future.

 

[UofL]

Grayton Beer now brewing? Can't wait. House beer for B&A? But no taps - at least at the Tarpon Club. Clarification for beer geeks, please See you next month! Ellen