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By my saying that they are local, I mean that they originated in Birmingham and are Birmingham based.

Many "local" places are no longer owned and operated by the family that started them. Jack Caddell started "Jack's" and later sold it to a franchiser and signed a "noncompete clause". When it expired, he started "Hamburger Heaven" in Irondale and after his death, it also was sold to a franchiser. This same chain of events occurred with "Sneaky Pete's" whose first place was across 8th ave South from the Town House apartments back when I was in grad school at UAB (I got the impression that he was the son of the guy who owned "Pete's Famous" downtown). Golden Rule, Full Moon, Dreamland, Jim & Nicks and others have traveled the same path by being sold by their original owners to primarily business people who want to run restaurants. They may or may not be creative chefs/cooks in their own right. Jesse Todd was the original owner of "Mrs Todd's Restaurant" in the Town House, "Smokehouse Restaurant" next to the Farmer's Market entrance on Finley Ave., a short order diner in what was the Gulf Building on Highland Ave., and a restaurant in Vestavia Village off US 31 where his corporate HQ was located. Many good food places have been started in the B'ham area and spread to places in Colorado and Maryland..

(01-15-2013 09:14 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Many "local" places are no longer owned and operated by the family that started them. Jack Caddell started "Jack's" and later sold it to a franchiser and signed a "noncompete clause". When it expired, he started "Hamburger Heaven" in Irondale and after his death, it also was sold to a franchiser. This same chain of events occurred with "Sneaky Pete's" whose first place was across 8th ave South from the Town House apartments back when I was in grad school at UAB (I got the impression that he was the son of the guy who owned "Pete's Famous" downtown). Golden Rule, Full Moon, Dreamland, Jim & Nicks and others have traveled the same path by being sold by their original owners to primarily business people who want to run restaurants. They may or may not be creative chefs/cooks in their own right. Jesse Todd was the original owner of "Mrs Todd's Restaurant" in the Town House, "Smokehouse Restaurant" next to the Farmer's Market entrance on Finley Ave., a short order diner in what was the Gulf Building on Highland Ave., and a restaurant in Vestavia Village off US 31 where his corporate HQ was located. Many good food places have been started in the B'ham area and spread to places in Colorado and Maryland..

Mmmmm - Smokehouse.