Bud and Alley’s opens in PCB

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Carol Rauschkolb said there was one existing location for a new Bud and Alley’s Restaurant to go and that was Panama City Beach on the historic Grand Lagoon. Bud and Alley’s opened at the former site of the Boatyard restaurant at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

“It had to be on the water,” Dave Rauschkolb said.

Panama City Beach also was appealing to the Rauschkolbs — Dave is the primary owner — because they already owned a boat on the marina. Dave Rauschkolb said he has been surfing in Panama City Beach for 34 years. He said he had offers to open Bud and Alley’s restaurants in both Atlanta and Chicago but did not want to leave the area. The original Bud and Alley’s is in Seaside.

Steve Counts, president of North Lagoon Partners and Counts Real Estate Group, is part of a group that owns the property. His son, Stephen Counts, who works for Counts Real Estate, recruited the Rauschkolbs to locate to Panama City Beach.

“It’s going to be great for this end of Panama City Beach,” Counts said. “Capt. Anderson’s is the restaurant in this area. It will be nice to have two really great restaurants right together. We needed something like that on the beach.”

Marina Director for both Lighthouse and Pirate’s Cove marinas Jim Hamilton said the restaurant should bring more customers.

“We have to have a draw other, than just the marina,” Hamilton said. “What a great one this is.”

Even though the restaurant is in unincorporated Bay County, Panama City Beach City Manager Mario Gisbert and City Council member Rick Russell attended the grand opening.

“It’s always wonderful to have places to go to,” Gisbert said.

Bud and Alley’s also hired 120 people for the restaurant, along with some employees promoted from the Seaside location. Dave Rauschkolb said the chefs — Lawrence Klang, Brittany Adams and Clark Smithson — were all local hires.

“I can say that we have some of the highest pay rates of any restaurant around,” Dave Rauschkolb said.

The Rauschkolbs made renovations to the restaurant, putting a staircase out front that leads all the way to the upper deck area, which looks out over the marina. Dave Rauschkolb dubbed it the stairway to heaven. The restaurant features three distinct locations: the upper deck with a bar centrally located, a lower deck and the main dining area featuring an open kitchen and wood burning pizza oven.

“Each space has its own feel,” Carol Rauschkolb said.

The menu is simple. An array of pizzas are featured but there are also pasta dishes and a variety of seafood entrées, averaging $30.