One cool, clear night on the 20th of January, 20 years ago we opened our doors. We will be celebrating our 20th anniversary this year in many ways but tomorrow night we will commemorate that day with a simple champagne toast (on the house) at sunset with good friends. Join us at 4:00 and into the twilight to toast an unforgettable past and a bright future in Seaside. Live Entertainment by Stix & Stones
.....the night before opening day my dear friend and partner, Scott Witcoski and I worked until 3:00 A.M. getting everything ready. We served 25 of our first customers for lunch and 28 for dinner; Robert and Daryl Davis, Louis Hyatt, and locals Tom Stein and James Foley were among our first diners. Seaside had 15 houses, a post office and an outdoor market. Then we had a huge parking lot and few customers. Now we have no parking lot and many thousands of customers; how times have changed. The formula was simple. Great food, simply prepared in a fun and casual setting.
Thank you all for 20 years of good food, good people and good times
Dave Rauschkolb
Replies
30
Beach Fanatic
When it came time to celebrate the 20th birthday of Bud ?n Alley?s, owner Dave Rauschkolb wanted to mark the occasion with as much understatement as with which the restaurant was begun.
The middle of last week, Rauschkolb mentioned to the restaurant staff that he thought he would ring the sunset bell himself on the 20th, then toast the sunset to celebrate the fabled restaurant?s 20th.
Word spread quickly and the popular rooftop bar on County Road 30A was packed when the appointed hour came.
Before raising the champagne glass, Rauschkolb thanked the crowd for 20 good years and he thanked Robert and Daryl Davis for believing in two 24-year-old kids all those years ago. The Davises, who founded Seaside, where the restaurant is located, were present, as were many who were there when the restaurant opened, including his former partner, Scott Witcoski, who retired last year.
?I owe it all to Scott. We were surfing buddies. He chose me to be his partner in this venture. I ran the front and Scott cooked. To look at it now and know that people speak of Bud ?n Alley?s with reverence ... We?re proud to be still here, and we?re proud to have been a part of Seaside?s growth,? he said.
Bud ?n Alley?s, named after the Davises? dog and the feral cats that roam freely about, is the longest established restaurant in South Walton.
?We wanted to commemorate as simply as we opened,? continued Rauschkolb. ?We had 20 customers when we opened. We had a huge parking lot then and no customers. Now we have lots of customers and no parking lot. When we opened there was only the post office, Perspicasity?s and 15 houses, and that was it,? he said. ?It?s great to reflect on the past and look forward to the future.?
Rauschkolb said he has been given a lease for two more years and offered the possibility to move into any new buildings being built. He said the actual restaurant will move across the street, but the roof deck will be retained.
?I feel very confident about our future,? he said, referring to the changes taking place in Seaside.
Rauschkolb also announced that Bud ?n Alley?s has a new chef ? James Huckaby from Birmingham. Huckaby studied for 11 years under Master Chef Frank Stitts, at Birmingham?s popular Highland?s Bar & Grill on the south side.
Bud ?n Alley?s originally opened its doors on Jan. 20, 1986. It has through the years become renowned for its rooftop bar, where a huge dinner bell is rung each evening at sunset. Sitting atop a dune on the Gulf of Mexico, it offers panoramic views of Seaside and the Gulf of Mexico, making it a favorite of locals and visitors.
The restaurant has earned the prestigious Golden Spoon Award from Florida Trend Magazine designating it as one of the top 20 restaurants in the state and it has also won The Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine for 11 years running.
?It?s great to still be here,? Rauschkolb said proudly. ?We will be celebrating all year long.?
The middle of last week, Rauschkolb mentioned to the restaurant staff that he thought he would ring the sunset bell himself on the 20th, then toast the sunset to celebrate the fabled restaurant?s 20th.
Word spread quickly and the popular rooftop bar on County Road 30A was packed when the appointed hour came.
Before raising the champagne glass, Rauschkolb thanked the crowd for 20 good years and he thanked Robert and Daryl Davis for believing in two 24-year-old kids all those years ago. The Davises, who founded Seaside, where the restaurant is located, were present, as were many who were there when the restaurant opened, including his former partner, Scott Witcoski, who retired last year.
?I owe it all to Scott. We were surfing buddies. He chose me to be his partner in this venture. I ran the front and Scott cooked. To look at it now and know that people speak of Bud ?n Alley?s with reverence ... We?re proud to be still here, and we?re proud to have been a part of Seaside?s growth,? he said.
Bud ?n Alley?s, named after the Davises? dog and the feral cats that roam freely about, is the longest established restaurant in South Walton.
?We wanted to commemorate as simply as we opened,? continued Rauschkolb. ?We had 20 customers when we opened. We had a huge parking lot then and no customers. Now we have lots of customers and no parking lot. When we opened there was only the post office, Perspicasity?s and 15 houses, and that was it,? he said. ?It?s great to reflect on the past and look forward to the future.?
Rauschkolb said he has been given a lease for two more years and offered the possibility to move into any new buildings being built. He said the actual restaurant will move across the street, but the roof deck will be retained.
?I feel very confident about our future,? he said, referring to the changes taking place in Seaside.
Rauschkolb also announced that Bud ?n Alley?s has a new chef ? James Huckaby from Birmingham. Huckaby studied for 11 years under Master Chef Frank Stitts, at Birmingham?s popular Highland?s Bar & Grill on the south side.
Bud ?n Alley?s originally opened its doors on Jan. 20, 1986. It has through the years become renowned for its rooftop bar, where a huge dinner bell is rung each evening at sunset. Sitting atop a dune on the Gulf of Mexico, it offers panoramic views of Seaside and the Gulf of Mexico, making it a favorite of locals and visitors.
The restaurant has earned the prestigious Golden Spoon Award from Florida Trend Magazine designating it as one of the top 20 restaurants in the state and it has also won The Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine for 11 years running.
?It?s great to still be here,? Rauschkolb said proudly. ?We will be celebrating all year long.?
Beach Fanatic
?As a child in 1986, I ate a hot dog from Bud?s that I?m pretty sure made me sick. Thankfully, I kept coming back. In 20 years, I have forged loves and friendships (there) that will last a lifetime. And the food turned out pretty good, too. It is the social epicenter of 30A, and I hope that will never change.?
? Craige Hoover
?I have very fond memories of Bud and Alley?s and always will. My first year to discover Bud and Alley?s was 1989 on a vacation to Seaside. Brad and I were in graduate school at Vanderbilt and came down with three other couples. Our big night out that week was dinner at Bud and Alley?s. I remember perusing the fresh urban garden oceanside while our food was being prepared. It was incredible. Fast forward to now and I thoroughly enjoy going to Bud and Alley?s roof top Tarpon Club for lunch. Most people think of Bud and Alley?s as a nighttime establishment but for me, it is so special during the daylight hours. It is the BEST place to watch dolphins and other ocean life. There is always a breeze and it?s truly the best seat on the Emerald Coast to enjoy the nature along with good food and beverage. I can?t imagine Seaside without Bud and Alley?s.?
? Holly Speight
?The best memories of Bud ?n Alley?s are the sunsets and the people, cozy atmosphere, and again the sunsets ...
? Bill Beasley
?When they opened in 1986, Dave had long hair and Scott had short hair. (now it?s reversed.) It was one of two restaurants where we could dress up for Halloween and have a great time. During Halloween, the locals would migrate between a restaurant in Grayton and Bud ?n Alley?s. When Dave severely injured his neck, we thought he would take time away from work, but he didn?t. My special memory of Bud ?n Alley?s remains the warm greeting and smile extended when Dave and Scott made their rounds. In the early years, this occurred after Alley Cat made her rounds.?
? Bob and Susan Dobes
?My best memories of Bud ?n Alley?s are of taking guests in town to see the view. It overwhelms them. Over a drink at sunset, it more than overwhelms them. It certainly makes friends for Seaside and for our gorgeous area.?
? Phyllis Bleiweiss
?I remember the many names we had kicked around to re-name the short-lived and disastrous ?Bistro.? I favored renaming it ?The Grill.? (Peter Mulcahey, who went on to start The Lake Place had run the premises ? when it was much smaller ? as ?The Seaside Grill.?) I liked the idea of continuity. But Scott Witcoski came up with the pretty wacky idea of naming it after my dog, Bud, and his cat, Alley. Perhaps the wackiest moment of this idea was a radio ad made by Will Mason, with yours truly playing Bud and Dave Rauscholb playing Alley, with Scott playing the news reporter interviewing us on our impressions of the B&A cuisine. Naturally, I favored the hamburger and Alley favored the Seaside shrimp, and we barked and howled to make our points. There were numerous large tabbies, most of them named Alley. As it turned out, it was Bud who had nine lives, coming back from the dead or missing numerous times and living to the ripe old age of 20. Their memory lives on in the B&A logo, featuring a dachshund and a cat against a plate.?
? Robert Davis
?I have enjoyed frequenting B&A since it opened. The memory of trying to predict the exact time of the sunset and never winning the free drink stands out!?
? Lane Rees
? Craige Hoover
?I have very fond memories of Bud and Alley?s and always will. My first year to discover Bud and Alley?s was 1989 on a vacation to Seaside. Brad and I were in graduate school at Vanderbilt and came down with three other couples. Our big night out that week was dinner at Bud and Alley?s. I remember perusing the fresh urban garden oceanside while our food was being prepared. It was incredible. Fast forward to now and I thoroughly enjoy going to Bud and Alley?s roof top Tarpon Club for lunch. Most people think of Bud and Alley?s as a nighttime establishment but for me, it is so special during the daylight hours. It is the BEST place to watch dolphins and other ocean life. There is always a breeze and it?s truly the best seat on the Emerald Coast to enjoy the nature along with good food and beverage. I can?t imagine Seaside without Bud and Alley?s.?
? Holly Speight
?The best memories of Bud ?n Alley?s are the sunsets and the people, cozy atmosphere, and again the sunsets ...
? Bill Beasley
?When they opened in 1986, Dave had long hair and Scott had short hair. (now it?s reversed.) It was one of two restaurants where we could dress up for Halloween and have a great time. During Halloween, the locals would migrate between a restaurant in Grayton and Bud ?n Alley?s. When Dave severely injured his neck, we thought he would take time away from work, but he didn?t. My special memory of Bud ?n Alley?s remains the warm greeting and smile extended when Dave and Scott made their rounds. In the early years, this occurred after Alley Cat made her rounds.?
? Bob and Susan Dobes
?My best memories of Bud ?n Alley?s are of taking guests in town to see the view. It overwhelms them. Over a drink at sunset, it more than overwhelms them. It certainly makes friends for Seaside and for our gorgeous area.?
? Phyllis Bleiweiss
?I remember the many names we had kicked around to re-name the short-lived and disastrous ?Bistro.? I favored renaming it ?The Grill.? (Peter Mulcahey, who went on to start The Lake Place had run the premises ? when it was much smaller ? as ?The Seaside Grill.?) I liked the idea of continuity. But Scott Witcoski came up with the pretty wacky idea of naming it after my dog, Bud, and his cat, Alley. Perhaps the wackiest moment of this idea was a radio ad made by Will Mason, with yours truly playing Bud and Dave Rauscholb playing Alley, with Scott playing the news reporter interviewing us on our impressions of the B&A cuisine. Naturally, I favored the hamburger and Alley favored the Seaside shrimp, and we barked and howled to make our points. There were numerous large tabbies, most of them named Alley. As it turned out, it was Bud who had nine lives, coming back from the dead or missing numerous times and living to the ripe old age of 20. Their memory lives on in the B&A logo, featuring a dachshund and a cat against a plate.?
? Robert Davis
?I have enjoyed frequenting B&A since it opened. The memory of trying to predict the exact time of the sunset and never winning the free drink stands out!?
? Lane Rees
little sugar
Our gang just LOVES Bud and Alley's, congratulations on twenty years :clap_1: Some of my favorite pictures from past vacations were taken from the bar at sunset, I have one framed in the kids bathroom and look at it everyday 
Admin
Dave made the home page. :clap_1:
Beach Fanatic
Wish I was there now!
Me too!!!!
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