The mat at the door may say “House No. 2” but Holler & Dash’s second location is different in look than its Homewood counterpart. From the slogan by the door, to the old-fashioned clock with biscuits for bells on the back wall, every decoration is hand-painted.
COO Chissler describes what Holler and Dash, the biscuit house that opened its first location in Homewood four months ago, as “Southern with a twist.” That twist is being brought to Tuscaloosa when they open their second location on the Strip July 12.
“We want to be able to fit into the space we’re in and the community we’re in,” Chissler said. “We don’t ever want it to look cookie cutter. This brand is special that way. You’ll never see this design anywhere else. It’s going to be unique and special to Tuscaloosa.”
Even the food is different, said Chef Brandon Frohne, the director of culinary for the company, who described the menu as has having something for everyone including a strawberry shortcake biscuit, a biscuit with fried chicken, pimento cheese and jalapeños and key lime pie soda.
”We like to go back to the nostalgia of traditional Southern fare, but we do a little fun twist on everything that we do and we really highlight flavors of the modern South,” he said.
Chissler said the company chose Tuscaloosa for its next spot because they saw it as a place where they could fit in and fill a niche.
“Tuscaloosa has a lot of great traditions, and it’s just this wonderful town with great history and then also the college here which brings a lot to it,” he said. “We’re about a lot of things in our culture and one of those is being a part of the community and really engaging with the people because it’s something that’s important to us. We know the town really has a good food tradition and we really want to be part of that and we think it’s going to be. We have a place here with Holler and Dash that I think will fit the need that I don’t see here in town.”
The atmosphere of the restaurant will be a welcoming one for students, Frohne and Chissler said. The biscuit house has bench seating in front of a garage window that can opened on nice days and community tables that they call “gang up” seating. Patrons can even influence the music in the restaurant via an app called Rockbot. There, they can view Holler & Dash’s playlist, select songs and add songs to be played.
Chisler said that little touches like that are about making the restaurant fun and giving people a different way to engage with the brand other than just placing an order.
“We want people to just hang out with others and have conversation,” Chissler said. “It’s one of the things we have as our beliefs. We believe that slowing down is necessary for keeping up and all that means to us is we want people to come in and relax and enjoy the space. And we’re not going to rush them, even though it’s fast casual, it’s a space that’s about hanging out and chilling with your friends basically.”
That sense of community, Chissler said, was one of the company’s core beliefs and according to Frohne, it extends to their food too.
“One of the big things of our brand is we believe in the goodness of real food,” Frohne said. “When we get up and rolling you’ll see there’s a lot of local and regional things we do. Everything from our honey that’s produced on a rooftop in Birmingham from City Bee to our goat cheese which is raised at Stone Hollow Farms which is like 20 miles outside of Birmingham.”
On July 9, Holler & Dash is inviting residents to come out and meet the staff and try some food before they open. The free event will run from noon to 2 p.m. and will feature games and prizes, including tickets to the Sloss Music and Arts Festival. It’s a bit of a “block party” as Chissler described it.
“We’re looking to invite like folks in and just spend the day with us,” he said. “It’s just a fun way for us to say hello and meet our neighbors if you will.”
The restaurant is also starting up an ambassador program, looking to recruit students to help them better engage with the community.
“They’ll be out there working on ways to partner with different organizations to figure out how we, as a brand here in town, can improve our relations with them,” Chissler said. “So some of it is just building awareness of this great new brand, and really being out in the community and having fun and being involved in things that we need to be to be a good partner in the community which I think is going to be a blast.”
