“We’ve always wanted our own restaurant since we were in culinary school,” Graham said. “The property became available and it seemed like a good time to do it and a good location.”
While they are not sure why Bottomfeeders closed, they are excited to carry on the legacy of the location and build on it in their own way.
“I think that we can make the location gain an even bigger following by the quality of vegetables and foods that we will have,” Graham said. “We are not going to be a barbecue restaurant. We are going to be a southern food restaurant and we’ll have a lot more comfort foods and a lot more variety.”
The café is still being renovated, but Ryan and Graham said customers can anticipate a relaxed atmosphere. The partners want to feature local art work from the Tuscaloosa community as interior décor to help reinforce the local, home-grown atmosphere.
“It will be a laid-back place where you can get a quick lunch and get fresh, home-style cooked food,” Graham said. “There are going to be different foods everyday along with staples that we will always have.”
T-Town Café’s menu will include main dishes such as burgers and catfish. The menu will also feature daily specials, so customers can expect to see variety on a regular basis. T-Town Café will also have specials such as Gulf shrimp making an appearance on the menu. Ryan and Graham plan to bring in locally grown fresh vegetables as part of the regular menu to add to their home-style meal theme.
“We are going to have a wide selection of fresh cooked vegetables, different meats, burgers – all that stuff will be cooked to order,” Ryan said. “Anything from chicken fingers all the way up to pork chops and hamburger steaks.”
At this time, the partners do not know what offers they are going to extend specifically to students, but they said students can expect to receive some sort of special or discount in the near future.
“We’ll definitely have some kind of something for students,” Graham said. “There will definitely be some kind of encouragement for them. We just don’t know what that will be yet.”
T-Town Café does not have a set opening date yet, but Ryan and Graham look for the restaurant to open within two to three weeks. Business hours will be Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The restaurant will be located at 500 14th St. in Tuscaloosa.
