SPANISH FORT — "Community service and exceptional sales growth" earned Beef 'O' Brady's in Spanish Fort the title of Alabama's 2024 Retailer of the Year for companies that sell between $1 million and $5 million annually.

The Alabama Retailer of the Year awards, started in 1999, honor retailers who have demonstrated growth, innovation and a commitment to their respective communities. This year's winners were selected from 37 entries submitted from a pool of 62 nominees.

"We are truly a family business," said Linda Kessler, who with her husband, Larry, and two sons, Nick and Joel, own and operate the Eastern Shore establishment. Their oldest grandson, JJ, worked as a cook for a couple of years until he went to college this fall. Nick Kessler's wife, Lauren, serves as marketing director.

The Kessler family frequented and fell in love with the kid-friendly atmosphere and sports focus of Beef 'O' Brady's even before they opened their own franchise in 2006, fulfilling their family dream of owning a restaurant. After a decade as Spanish Fort's community-wide dinner table and caterer, they expanded their 3,000-square-foot restaurant in the Spanish Fort Shopping Center on U.S. 90 to 4,200 square feet in 2016. Last year, the Kesslers' Beef 'O' Brady's franchise moved to a new, more efficient 3,700-square-foot, free-standing building and patio at 8495 Spanish Fort Blvd. (U.S. 31). The new footprint includes 2,000 square feet of rental space, currently occupied by 3 Arrows Butcher.

Despite being closed for six weeks while building the new restaurant, the Kesslers' business had a record 23% sales increase in 2023. The judges were "impressed with their increase in business, all while undertaking a move."

"Moving to U.S. 31 was an early investment in Spanish Fort after a long period of road construction," Carl Guftafson, a real estate broker and Spanish Fort city councilman, wrote in a letter of recommendation for the business. "(The Kesslers) are an integral part of our community."

Casey Williams, president and CEO of the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, who nominated the Kesslers for the award, said they "invest in their community in many ways. They host Chamber events such as our Young Professionals After Hours Social plus contribute gift cards for the YP Bowling for Books, which benefits the Spanish Fort Library, and the YP Bingo & Brew, which benefits the backpack program for schools. They annually host an event for Toys for Tots and gather more toys than any other area site."
Local fire, police and schools also benefit from the Kesslers' generosity.

"At the start of every school year, we bring goody bags to schoolteachers and administration to the five schools in Spanish Fort," the Kesslers noted in their entry.

"People always ask how/why we support and give so much," Linda Kessler said. "We say the community supports us, and we just try and give as much support back as possible."

She added, "We couldn't do it without our employees."

Beef 'O' Brady's is one of five businesses in four categories honored as the 2024 Retailers of the Year by the Alabama Retail Association.

"The Kessler family is a retailer of the year every year to their customers, 38 employees and the Spanish Fort and Eastern Shore communities," Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown said in a news release.

The Spanish Fort Beef 'O' Brady's has been a member of the Alabama Retail Association since its inception in 2006.