Baldwin County's first Jack's opened its doors Monday, Feb. 12, at 5 a.m. The first 50 customers who ordered on-site received free breakfast for one month.

Gulf Coast Media was the first news outlet to announce a Jack's Family Restaurant was coming to the area, and the resident's excitement was trackable. The stories were some of the most popular on our social media platforms and website.

The restaurant welcomed media for a preview Friday, Feb. 9 and we were happy to test subjects and see the inside of the restaurant. The front-of-the-house crew practiced taking and filling orders while the kitchen staff was busy hand-breading chicken, flipping pancakes and frying bacon. The breakfast plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, grits sausage gravy and heart-shaped biscuit looked better than Mom's.

Jack's Family Restaurants is a privately owned company based in Homewood, where the first Jack's opened in 1960. The first location was a walk-up "hamburger joint." The brand has grown to have 250 locations across four states: Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi.

Jack's is known for their southern food, made-from-scratch biscuits, hand-breaded chicken, freshly made sides and burgers.

Brand manager Christy Malone showed Gulf Coast Media around the Loxley Jack's location, spoke about the newest restaurant model and showed off the ice cream counter.

"Our ice cream machine can never be broken because it is all hand-scooped," Malone said. "I think our milkshakes are most popular probably but we also do scooped ice cream as well."

Malone walked us around the dining room pointing out the local personalization. A framed map on one wall has a large circle highlighting Loxley on a map.

"It puts a local element. None of them are the same," Malone said. "They are all localized to the community."

The exterior of the building has also been customized with the location.

"At Jack's, we are 'All About the South' and are thrilled to continue our expansion across our home state of Alabama with our Loxley location," said Jack's Family Restaurants CEO Todd Bartmess in a statement. "We look forward to not only serving locals our Southern food but also to engraining ourselves as committed members of the community."

Jack's brings approximately 60 new jobs to the Loxley area and a commitment to establishing itself as a community partner. According to Malone, the brand tends to partner with the local high school when they come into a community. The partnership tends to result in team sponsorships.

The Loxley Jack's is opening just in time for Valentine's Day and will feature their made-from-scratch biscuits in the shape of a heart through Feb. 14. Download and check the Jack's app for specials like the Heart–Shaped Biscuit Online Deal which includes your choice of 12 steak or ham biscuits.

The brand will also open two new stores in the Mobile market this year. For more information on Jack's Family Restaurant, visit eatatjacks.com.