The Great North Florence Dining Desert

 

If you live north of Cypress Mill Road, you may be forced to curtail your dining options in the near future. Either that or seek anger management therapy in order to navigate the Betterton-Kitts Bottleneck soon to arrive downtown. Where can you eat in the vast metropolis of Needmore? Let's look at your choices:

1. North Wood Social - Sit down dining

2. McDonald's - American fast food

3. Mid-Town Butcher (Cheesy Bob) - American fast food

4. Wok 'N Roll - Asian

5. Voodoo Wings - American fast food

6. Dick Howell's - American fast food

7. Fiesta Mexicana - Mexican

8. Rice Box - Asian

9. Taco Bell - Mexican

10. Big Man's Barbecue - American fast food

11. El Polito Loco - Mexican

Seven-Points may be the only community in the free world without a Subway sandwich shop. Let's all say thank you to the Florence City Council and mayor when we visit the polls in August.

Southern Hospitality Holdings Closing Eight Shoals Locations

 

Southern Hospitality Holdings was an up and coming brand...until it wasn't. The company's website has expired, and its Facebook page hasn't had an entry since February 2024.

As of Saturday, eight local venues, plus reportedly more in neighboring counties, will close. The soon to be defunct Shoals enterprises include:

306 Barbecue - Three locations

Smokin' Jalapeno - Three locations

Back Alley Sports Bar

Birdy's Sports Grill

Good luck to the displaced employees.

Fizz Closes Again

 

It seems for everyone who loves Fizz, there's someone who hates the bar/club/eatery. From a few days closure in August 2021 to a nine-month closure that stretched from October 2023 until June 2024, the Sheffield establishment has often left its die-hard fans in the lurch.

This week, Fizz announced still another closure. Its press release indicates that the next re-re-opening will be in May at the earliest if all goes well. Anyone for a tiddlywinks tournament to fill in the days?

Shoals Shack - King of the Tofu Burger

 

The Shoals Shack

When my co-worker and I got off a half-day recently, I knew she was a (sort of) vegetarian and asked her if she wanted to check out the Shoals Shack on Hwy. 47 in St. Florian just north of Cox Creek Parkway. She jumped at the chance for a tofu burger that I knew Hubs would have made fun of, so off we headed, all Thelma and Louise.

I had mentioned that there was no indoor seating, but my friend was sure there was a pavilion, after all she had heard all about it. As we got to the Shoals Shack, my companion stated it was the wrong restaurant. We finally worked out that she had wanted to go to the Happy Hollow Marina (which I'll try to review later).

Once we finally decided to order, my friend chose the tofu sandwich on sour dough bread. It featured provolone and was under $9.00 with tax. I went with the regular tofu burger, but had them hold the American cheese (warning: it's really a cheese burger, so make your order clear). My sandwich was around $8.50. We also got an order of sweet potato fries (under $3.00) to share and were pleasantly surprised at how good they were. 

Now that I know Shoals Shack has so many real meat choices, I'm definitely going back with Hubs. Warning: The restaurant is closed Sunday through Tuesday. And, no, there's no pavilion, but I'm hoping they add one.

Giving a score of nine out of ten!

Cherry Pitts

Coldwater Cafe' - Sheffield - Bad Neighbor?

 

The Coldwater Cafe' has been a fixture in Colbert County for quite some time, albeit in different locations. Its current home is at the corner of Hatch Boulevard and Robertson Boulevard in Sheffield. 

If you're not familiar with Coldwater, here's a description of its fare from a Facebook page:

Coldwater Cafe is a local short order cafe with famous fried chicken tenders. We also serve hamburgers, chili dogs, grilled chicken salads, philly cheesesteaks, hamburger steak plates, smoked pork tenderloin plates, and amazing desserts!

Now the casual eatery has been accused of being a bad neighbor due to the location of its portable sign. 

The speed limit on this section of Hatch Boulevard is 35 mph. According to residents of the area who use Robertson Boulevard as an exit to parts North, visibility in an SUV is highly diminished, while almost non-existent in a more traditional vehicle.

While Sheffield has no sign ordinance per se, the portable advertising may well fall afoul of a zoning ordinance. It will be interesting to see the result of this complaint to the chronically lawsuit-prone Colbert town.

Hwy55 - Florence Closed, Mgr. Arrested

 

Four months after the Hwy55 Burgers, Shakes, & Fries closed in Muscle Shoals, the new Florence location on Cloverdale Road is also shuttered. A recent health department rating gave the casual eatery a score of 81, but that wasn't the reason for closing the Lauderdale store.

If you're wondering what happened to their former operator, he's currently in the Lauderdale County Detention Center in lieu of a $606,000.00 bond. Florence Police say 38 year-old Garrett David Wilkins had an inappropriate relationship with a young teen girl. His official charges are:

6 counts of Pornography/Obscene Material

6 counts of Possession of Child Pornography

2nd degree Sexual Abuse

2 counts of Transmitting Obscene Material to a child

Enticing a Child

Electronic Solicitation of a Child

Wilkins had fled to Utah, but was brought back to Florence earlier this week. Considering his charges and bond amount, he may not be flipping any burgers for the next few years at least.

If you're desperate for one of the chain's fast food specialties, the Boaz and Ft. Payne locations remain open.

Roma Italian Bistro - Shut Down by Authorities

 

You've heard it before - the Hatch Boulevard building is cursed! Or perhaps it's Sheffield. Or maybe it's all a huge coincidence.

Call it what you want, but Roma Italian Bistro, currently on Sheffield's nuisance property list, has been shut down by authorities. According to a source connected to the restaurant, the Italian eatery had "employee problems."

There are other unverified reports that are more descriptive; however, we'll wait for an official announcement before discussing those. In the meantime, may we suggest Olive Garden?