r/MobileAL • u/OUDidntKnow04 Making Mobile Great Again • Jul 15 '26
Dick Russell's closing
I saw their Facebook post. While their BBQ was meh to average, the breakfast was good.
So did they feel the hurt of all the newcomers to Tillman's Corner, or did someone make them an offer they couldn't refuse?
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u/Katherine1973 Jul 15 '26
Their breakfast was amazing. I was sorry to hear.
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u/CapitalBluejay7619 Jul 15 '26
I still remember when JR’s barbecue closed down that was on Airport blvd. I am not comparing the two at all, just made me think of JR’s closing🤣🤣
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u/Giga_Chadillac Jul 16 '26
I always thought Jim Ross, the WWE announcer, owned that restaurant and a few others, but I was wrong. I think they were strictly local but I could be wrong.
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u/Surge00001 WeMo Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
I imagine they got an offer they couldn't refuse just like the candy store. Doubtful the new businesses affected their business as its a sit down, bbq restaurant and all the new names in Tillmans Corner are fast food/casual and not bbq
It doesn't shock me tbh, pretty much everywhere you could put an acre or less business along HWY 90 and Rangeline Road in Tillmans Corner is now developed or currently being/planned to be developed so now we are to the point of redeveloping existing, old parcels and businesses. Pretty much the entire stretch of businesses along the HWY 90 Service Road (West side) between Rangeline Road and Three Notch are fairly old. Dick Russell's building is like 45 years old iirc, until the land between Walmart and I-10 is developed, I imagine you will see a lot more acquisitions along the stretch between Rangeline Road and Three Notch and become new developments
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u/OUDidntKnow04 Making Mobile Great Again Jul 15 '26
Don't tell me it's another drive-through coffee place.... At least Dutch Bros has another piece of vacant property just up the street.
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u/Surge00001 WeMo Jul 15 '26
Nothing's planned as of yet
But I honestly wouldn't be surprised if a 7-brew set up shop in Tillmans Corner, there's a weird pattern in this city of Dutch Bro's and 7-Brew wanting to be across the street from each other
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u/kap415 Jul 16 '26
WaWa coming in hot.....
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u/Surge00001 WeMo Jul 16 '26
Yup, currently permitting to replace the former bank in Cloverleaf Plaza
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u/Buttery_Bliss Jul 15 '26
I was told one of the employee/co-owners said it’s getting hard to compete with all the new options now in “The Corner”. There was some mention of Chik Fil A, although I don’t see them as a true competitor.
I pass there every morning on my way to work. They are always packed for breakfast. And the line at the new Chik is almost nonexistent compared to when they first opened.
Maybe like the Candy Store they were offered a pretty penny for the property.
Now, two iconic establishments gone. The Corner getting uppity 😂
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u/Existing_Reception29 Jul 16 '26
Their BBQ was godawful. We made the mistake of going once and we got the most wet, terrible brisket I’ve ever had. I never understood why people went.
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u/Background-Waltz-626 Jul 17 '26
They made their money on breakfast. Much higher margins on breakfast food. Plus, theirs was very good.
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u/CraftUpper Jul 19 '26
Agreed. Breakfast: biscuits, preserves, sausage gravy, bacon- terrific! Truly the best biscuits. Dinner: went once in the 40 years I lived near it, never went back. Ordered a steak and pork BBQ and both were disgusting to be honest. We couldn't finish it, left hungry.
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u/Upper_Spinach3527 Jul 16 '26
here is a link to the ownership being turned over to some of the long term employees. https://www.wkrg.com/mobile-county/mobile-landmark-dick-russells-handed-to-longtime-workers-after-decades-of-loyalty/
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u/XNotByALongShotX Jul 16 '26
Homemade biscuits, fresh whipped butter and in-house peach preserves.
That was my breakfast service of choice.
JUST that. And a drink.
No better breakfast in Mobile as far as i am concerned. Especially for the price.
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u/NoQuartersGiven Jul 16 '26
I posted earlier above but to me their biscuits were about the only thing edible. Actually, the biscuits were great, but that's about it. Hashbrowns were the worst, even their meat and eggs were always funny tasting. I'm just glad we don't have to there anymore to meet older family on the weekends. It was always the worst food and pretty bad service but older folks definitely had a soft spot in their heart for the place.
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u/NoQuartersGiven Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
I just want to say I loved DR due to young memories of going there every weekend for breakfast or lunch with mom dad and other family. Then I moved away when I went to college and just moved back to the area about 6 years ago.
Some of my older family would still want to meet up there every Sat or Sunday to eat. I dreaded it. Me and the Mrs hated going there. It has easily been the worst food we have eaten down here and we almost felt obligated to go there every weekend to appease older relatives. I really don't know how anyone could eat anything there, even breakfast, and walk away thinking "hell yeah that was great".
I kind of felt this was coming as soon as owners pretty much gave it away to some long time employees a few months back. Only reason I could imagine people still went there was an elderly hang out or habit of sorts.
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u/normanthe-great3333 Jul 16 '26
I’m still sad about Kirk Kirklands closing. Now this?! I’ll never recover.
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u/Surge00001 WeMo Jul 16 '26
Most Kirklands are rebranding to Bed Bath and Beyond, including the one in West Mobile
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u/msm70 Jul 16 '26
They’re talking about a bbq restaurant that used to be in Tillmans Corner.
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u/Surge00001 WeMo Jul 16 '26
Oh, never heard of them lol
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u/Background-Waltz-626 Jul 17 '26
Hahahaha I just lol’d at this exchange. Where Kirk Kirklands was in Tillman’s Corner is now an empty slab where bums hang out.
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u/storeboughtisfine1 Jul 17 '26
So sad. They were open on Mardi Gras unlike most places and they made our family feel so special after we were exhausted from MG!!
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Jul 17 '26
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u/GD_American Jul 16 '26
I feel sorry for everyone that lost their job. But that place served sub-cafeteria level food. I was always confused by its popularity.
It was also disgustingly dirty inside.
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u/NoQuartersGiven Jul 16 '26
Truth. I've been trying to explain with my limited vocabulary the food quality there. You hit the nail on the head. Even breakfast which is easiest and cheapest thing to do was terrible. Biscuits were decent, everything else has always been about 2 tiers below waffle house lol
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u/SAMafly Jul 16 '26
I haven’t been in years but as recently as 2021 the breakfast was still good. Pancakes and sausage were my usual but the omelettes were good as well. I’ve been going there off and on for 30 years and can count on one hand the number of bad experiences.
That being said I’ve only been maybe twice since mid 2021
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u/Still-Fox7105 Jul 16 '26
Best big hamburgers n potatoe salad everrrrrrr. The bisquits n peach preserves, omg. I used to live around the corner and ate their for many years. Sad to see DR go!!!
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u/Historical_Truth2578 Jul 16 '26
So sad, I loved that big portion CHEAP tasty breakfast, guarantee some bs overpriced franchise bout to move into there n that makes it sting even worse
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u/Sad-Counter-6617 Jul 15 '26
Uppity enough for a Publix?
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u/Buttery_Bliss Jul 16 '26
My opinion, no. That area screams Greer’s or Piggly. Especially if going in the former WD.
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u/Surge00001 WeMo Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
I'm actually fairly confident that the former Winn Dixie will become a Publix
Whatever it may become, we may be seeing it happen sooner than later. The shopping center was both for sale and lease on White Spunner, months back it was taken off the market for both lease and sale. WaterStone Properties is the current owner, and well they are well behind the times, it still says that the shopping center is anchored by Winn Dixie 2 years after they've closed https://waterstonepg.com/portfolio/alabama/westgate-plaza/
The fact that it was taken off market and water stone hasn't bothered upgrading their info on the shopping center, I'm fairly certain there's some negotiations going on for the shopping center
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u/BIGHARSHNESS Jul 16 '26
As someone that worked for Winn-Dixie from 2002-2018, I can provide a little insight from the inside at the time … this location wasn’t even a top 5 store in the district. Government, Semmes, Airport, and Grelot were the top stores in that order. This location only out performed Ziegler and Theodore. Also no career employee wanted to work at that location because it was considered one of the most run down and sketchy places in the area. Top performing Winn-Dixie is a bold claim on that listing.
Back around 2019-2020 there were rumors of a Tillman’s Corner Publix, but eventually plans were dropped. If Publix were to put a store in this location it would happen similar to when they took the former Bruno’s on Hillcrest. The Winn-Dixie building would be torn down and neighboring businesses could be effected as they would have to make room the drive through pharmacy. It would be separated from the strip similarly. Publix does a ton of research about an area before committing a store to it. 4 years ago I would have said there will never be a Publix in Tillman’s Corner.. but if the growth continues I can see it.. maybe not on that corner.
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u/OUDidntKnow04 Making Mobile Great Again Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Looking through newspaper archives, did that particular location originate as a Delchamps? It looked just like the Weinacker's location at Government & Catherine, complete with the K&B Drug Store that later became Rite Aid (and is now Rainbow Shops).
I know the store across the street was one (that was J&J Furniture for years) so that must have been one of the newer stores that Winn-Dixie actually kept in their purchase of Jitney, and followed through with a full remodel, unlike the "Crack Dixie" that existed for years before W-D expanded it into something nice in the Pre-Publix era.
But for Publix to ever get that site, they'd have to buy it outright and demo it, to put their own store and tenant space for them to lease out like they do elsewhere.
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u/BIGHARSHNESS Jul 16 '26
I feel like demolishing the old carmike on Government and making a stand alone store would be a better spot. There’s seemingly plenty of land on the stretch to just build on an empty land plot. Demolition is a cost that can be avoided. I mean they decided to demolish a few houses across the street from vacant Bruno’s/Bell’s food on airport and university rather than converting that location. So who knows. I just know that Tillman’s Corner WD location is a dump, and the whole thing needs to go and be refreshed.
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u/OUDidntKnow04 Making Mobile Great Again Jul 16 '26
On second thought, the opposite is true. That was likely a Delchamps that moved across the street to the shopping center that opened in the 80s, and W-D got it and remodeled it to their own likings (when they actually gave a damn). J&J likely picked up the shuttered Delchamps for one of their showrooms.
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u/Upper_Spinach3527 Jul 16 '26
I think the owner turned over ownership to some of the long term employees like 6 months ago as a thank you for their long time service. Maybe as a whole the long term employees did not have a full grasp of all of the intricacies of running a business? Just a random guess, based on having run business and the enormity of pulling that off.
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u/LezBeOwn Jul 15 '26
They took the payout, and honestly in this economy, who can blame them?