Historic Downtown Foley has gained a new eatery. Cheeseburger Randy's is officially open.
In March, one of the biggest culinary personalities in Baldwin County, Alex Warner and business partner, …
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Historic Downtown Foley has gained a new eatery. Cheeseburger Randy's is officially open.
In March, one of the biggest culinary personalities in Baldwin County, Alex Warner and business partner, Marcus Owens, spoke exclusively to Gulf Coast Media about their smash burger venture Cheeseburger Randy's. At that time, they felt they would open quickly.
Spring turned into summer and the anticipation grew. Like with many new business ventures, they ran into bumps along the way. The space needed more renovation than originally anticipated but the team soldiered on and used social media to keep their fans engaged.
Throughout construction, friends and fans stopped by to say hello, honked and waved as they drove by, and engaged on social media. That support helped fuel Warner and Owens to push on.
On Friday, Oct. 18, a select group of family, friends and supporters were invited to Cheeseburger Randy's for a soft opening and I was fortunate enough to be included. While I had been to the restaurant several times this was the first time it was alive with diners and fully decorated.
Cheeseburger Randy's is located at 209 S. Alston St. The small building houses Black Cat Vegan Bakery in the front and the Cheeseburger Randy's kitchen in the rear. The dining room is a large, covered patio lined with tables and anchored by a large bar. The decor is funky, eclectic and hand selected by the duo. The artwork ranges from guitars and movie posters to a disco ball and AI-generated art that includes Warner's likeness.
Upon arrival, my daughter Luci and I walked up to the order station located at the bar. The menu is short and sweet which made deciding easy. The menu includes three smash burgers, fries and onion rings. Luci ordered the Cheeseburger (two smash burger patties, American cheese, 'shredduce' also known as shredded lettuce, pickles and burger sauce with bacon added and a side of french fries. I ordered the Cheeseburger and onion rings. We grabbed our cups and headed to the soda fountain before securing two seats at the bar.
While we waited for our food more people arrived, and food was coming out of the window. Warner was busy checking orders and delivering them to the tables while Owens greeted guests, cleaned tables and helped with any ordering issues.
Our burgers and sides arrived and after photos, we tucked in. The burgers are true smash burgers and despite having two patties, it was easy to sink my teeth into it (sometimes burgers are just too tall). The burger sauce was flavorful and generously applied to our burgers. Luci used the extra sauce that landed on the plate as a fry sauce. The burgers were juicy, delicious and messy. You will want to secure a large stack of napkins but it's worth the mess.
As for the sides, the fries reminded us of the fries from the fast-food establishment with arches in size and thickness. They were a great accompaniment to the burger. The onion rings were a grand slam in my book. They were crunchy, battered rings of onion. When I got down to the last ring, after chatting and snapping pictures, it wasn't hot, but it was still good which is my measure of a good onion ring.
The soft opening went well and tested the staff, kitchen and processes. Throughout the dinner service, Warner and Owens were solving little issues and changing things so they would be ready to open to the public Sunday, Oct. 20. Sunday's opening was so busy, Warner announced they would not open until Thursday due to needing to get a food delivery.
The public is encouraged to follow Cheeseburger Randy's social media for updates on the schedule but for now, Warner said they will be open Thursday through Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. and closed Tuesday and Wednesday. There are plans to add lunch and breakfast in the future. A liquor license has been applied for and if approved, Warner and Owens have some fun things planned.
On Sunday, just before opening to the public, Owens said, "Get ready to let the fun times rip in downtown Foley!"
