Posted on October 29, 2013 to News & Events
Members of Team Wintzell’s representing West Mobile, Downtown Mobile, Saraland, Eastern Shore Center and Fairhope.
The Alabama Restaurant and Hospitality Alliance celebrated the best in Alabama’s hospitality industry Monday October 28th, 2014 with several of Wintzell’s employees recognized as “Stars” of the Industry.
Wintzell’s very own, Mr. Willie Brown, was awarded Front of House Employee of the Year during the event. Front-of House Employees must focus on making outstanding impressions on guests, and that is exactly what Willie has continued to do in his 43 years of work at the original Wintzell’s location on Dauphin Street.
Bob O and Mr. Brown – long time colleagues and friends
Willie has been an outstanding oyster shucker at Wintzell’s for 43 years. As a long time employee, Willie has become as Mayor Sam Jones calls “A tourist attraction in his own right.”
Willie holds the rare gift of not only oyster shucking, but being able to relate to all of Wintzell’s guests who eat at the oyster bar.
The reception highlighted Alabama Gulf Seafood followed by a gourmet meal served by Battle House Executive Chef Marty Pollock. Following the meal was an award ceremony, highlighting winners in many different categories.
Wintzell’s Hostess Michelle Hamilton at award ceremony with General Manager Bryan Injain from Wintzells Oyster House – Fairhope
Not only did Willie Brown shine for Wintzell’s, also manager Scott Wolfe from Wintzell’s Oyster House, Orange Beach was recognized as a finalist for Restaurant Manager of the Year award and Michelle Hamilton, Wintzell’s Oyster House in Fairhope’s hostess, was also a finalist for the Spirit Award.
The Wintzell’s team walked away with their heads held high that night, feeling great about being some of the best in Alabama’s restaurant industry.
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Posted on October 9, 2013 to News & Events
Wintzell’s is very proud of our employee’s and all the hard word they do for our guests. Hope you stop by one of these locations near you and meet these great members of our team.
Holly Chadwell is Wintzell’s Tuscaloosa’s employee of the month!
Holly Chadwell, Wintzell’s Tuscaloosa Emloyee of the Month
Holly is a junior at the University of Alabama and has been working for Wintzell’s in Tuscaloosa for nearly a year. She is a dedicated worker and great attribute to the Wintzell’s team!
Chris Williams – Wintzell’s Eastern Shore Centre Employee of the Month
Chris Williams started with us as a dishwasher at the Eastern Shore Wintzell’s in January of 2012. He has proven himself as a valuable asset to the store. We were so impressed with his work ethic, timeliness and sweet disposition that we recently promoted him to a cook. He has done an outstanding job learning both grill and fry. Congratulations to Chris!!
Ariel Rhodes, Wintzell’s in Montgomery’s Employee of the Month
Wintzell’s Montgomery’s September Employee of the Month is Ariel Rhodes. Ariel has worked as a host with Wintzell’s in Montgomery since February. Ariel does a fantastic job helping our guests as soon as they arrive. She always has the warmest smile and boundless energy.
Ariel excels at all her responsibilities. Whether she is hosting or taking To Go orders, she is passionate about making our guests happy.
Tasha Snider- Wintzell’s Gunterville’s Employee of the Month
Tasha Snider has been selected as the Employee of the Month for the Guntersville Location. Tasha has two boys ages 4 and 8 and is a volleyball fanatic. Tasha is a great example of what every successful server should be. Some of her strengths include her dependability, consistency in following her service steps and her salesmanship. More importantly she genuinely cares about the happiness of our guests and is a natural service giver. She receives numerous compliments from our customers. Tasha has a great attitude, a smiling face and a team player spirit. She is a great server and a trainer and is a very valuable member of our team.
Amber Jowers – West Mobile Employee of the Month
The employee of the month for Wintzell’s West Mobile is Amber Jowers. She has been with the company for a little over 2 years now. She enjoys spending time with her children and pets. We chose Amber because she is the example of every standard that we set. She has a positive attitude, is team oriented, always looks sharp and in uniform, and very knowledgeable.
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Posted on October 1, 2013 to News & Events
Everyone has a story to tell. Wintzell’s seeks classic stories from guests over the past 75 years. Whether it was an engagement, graduation celebration or even that first terrifying bite of a raw oyster, Wintzell’s wants to hear it.
In honor of its 75th anniversary, Wintzell’s Oyster House seeks funny, special and sentimental stories from guests who have experienced their first oyster, engagements, anniversaries and other significant life moments. Starting October 1st, guests will be able to submit their stories on the Wintzell’s website or Facebook page.
Wintzell’s Oyster House was founded in 1938 by J. Oliver Wintzell and initially began as a small, six-stool oyster bar. In the words of our founder J. Oliver Wintzell, “I’m proud of the Oyster House in a lot of ways. It has sentiment for many folks. It was here as kids that they ate their first oysters. And here, too, husbands have gotten their finicky wives to eat their first oyster.”
“As Oliver used to collect witty sayings from guests, this is our opportunity to collect the stories of their experiences at Wintzell’s,” says Bob Donlon, President of Wintzell’s Oyster House.
Upon gathering and review of the stories, Wintzell’s will produce a commemorative book titled “75 Years of Sentiment.” Guests whose stories are chosen for the book will be invited to attend an anniversary celebration in January of 2014.
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Posted on September 17, 2013 to News & Events
Kim Stephens and Moses Hubbard are Wintzell’s Fairhope and Wintzell’s Montgomery’s newest Employees of the Month!
Kim Stephens – Wintzell’s Fairhope Employee of the Month
Kim has been with Wintzell’s in Fairhope since early June and has been shining ever since. Kim is our Monday through Friday day closer, but is always there to pick up a shift if we need her.
We rely heavily on Kim to provide excellent service to our guests, which she does every day. She is a phenomenal asset to the Wintzell’s team.
Moses Hubbard – Wintzell’s Montgomery Employee of the Month
Moses Hubbard is an outstanding server at Wintzell’s Oyster House in Montgomery. Moses brought a lot of serving experience when he came to the Montgomery store.
Moses is terrific at guiding his guests through their drink order all the way through dessert. He consistently leads our team in sales, alcohol sales and guest check averages.
Everybody loves Moses!
Moses loves to challenge himself by setting goals on every shift. He may challenge himself to sell five Weekender’s on a Tuesday night, then sell six. He’s always working on selling, while providing a great guest experience. Wintzell’s in Montgomery is proud to name him, Employee of the Month!
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Posted on September 5, 2013 to News & Events
Wintzell’s in Montgomery is proud to announce the Employee of the Month for the month of July, Michael Adair-Oberer.
Mike is an ‘original’ employee of the Montgomery Wintzell’s. He drives up from Greenville, AL every Wednesday through Saturday to tend to the bar.
Several of Montgomery’s regular’s only want ‘Mike’s Margarita’. He can shake his drink mixing tin like nobody else! Mike is Downtown Montgomery’s Best Bartender.
Mike was just nominated to enter into Montgomery’s Best Bartender Competition, taking place on October 3, 2013. If he wins, Mike will be named Montgomery’s Bartender of the Year and will be invited to compete in the State Bartender of the Year contest.
Mike Adair-Oberer is an outstanding bartender, a hard worker and truly an asset for Wintzell’s Montgomery.
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Posted on August 12, 2013 to News & Events
Wintzell’s is proud to be among the 250 participating restaurants in Alabama Restaurant week, August 16 – 25, 2013!
Stop by any Wintzell’s location to enjoy a $10 lunch or $20 dinner special. For $10, have a cup of our award-winning gumbo and our yummy fish tacos. For only $20, you can enjoy a cup of our gumbo, our filling Low Country Shrimp Boil and our famous bread pudding.
For more information about Alabama Restaurant Week, visit them online at www.alabamarestaurantweek.com/
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Posted on June 26, 2013 to News & Events
What’s the best way to eat an Oyster? Well, we suggest a squeeze of lemon and a dash of our Shuck’n ‘n Jive’n sauce over an icy cold oyster, followed by a leisurely gulp.
But, if you’re one of the ladies from the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) program – formerly America’s Junior Miss – you might have a different tactic.
Especially, say, if you’re in an oyster eating contest.
Wintzell, who’s the longest sponsor of the DYW program, sponsors an annual golf tournament for the program that’s raised $26,000 this year, and more than $200,000 over the past ten years.
But, hey- we’re foodies- so clearly, we’re enthusiastic fans for any sort of eating contest, especially when the cause helps to support young women across the country. This summer we hosted our annual DYW oyster eating contest at our original location in Mobile, AL.
The favorite, expected winner was Carly Mickelson of North Dakota, especially considering the state’s reigned champion for the past two years.
Carly Mickelson of North Dakota
But, in a (well-deserving upset, Jimmienell Morgan of New Mexico took the cake (or shall we say pearl?) as the queen bee:
First place winner, Jimmienell of New Mexico
Incredibly, she ate more than 80 oysters in a mere five minutes. Seriously – let’s reiterate: 80 oysters in five minutes.
Since the cause was a good one, though, no one left feeling defeated — especially since the ladies were all united by the DYW program. The program was founded in 1958, right here in Mobile, as the largest and oldest scholarship program for young women in high school across the nation. To date, DYW has granted more than $93 million in scholarships, and mentors young women to be successful in academia, as well as with building lifelong relationships.
For more information, or to support the cause, visit http://www.ajm.org
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Posted on June 10, 2013 to News & Events
You might think it’s a daunting task for us to pack up our bags from the quaint old South to venture to the Big Apple. (We admit it, you New Yorkers talk mighty fast.)
But once we caught a whiff of the 11th Anniversary Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, hosted by Southern Living from June 8 to 9, we forgot all about sweet tea and followed everything BBQ.
Here’s us at our stand representing Alabama Gulf Seafood. In honor of our 75th anniversary, we were proud to serve Gulf oysters and champagne. Back home our oysters are served anyway you like ’em: fried, stewed, or nude.
Our Southern hospitality attracted many people to our venue, so we were able to make all kinds of new friends!
At the end of the festival, we left happy, hungry, a little wet from Tropical Storm Andrea… but, most of all, very homesick for our ‘Bama.
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Posted on May 13, 2013 to News & Events
For Immediate Release
May 13, 2013
Mobile, AL – On May 20, 2013, Wintzell’s Oyster House will open its first Pittsburgh, PA location, bringing it’s seventy-five history of Gulf Coast tradition to the Northeast. Founded by J. Oliver Wintzell in 1938 in Mobile, AL, this is the twelfth of Wintzell’s rapidly expanding restaurants to bring Gulf Coast cuisine and southern hospitality to a broader audience. Featuring unique items such as homemade seafood gumbo, West Indies Salad and Chargrilled oysters, Wintzell’s offers the Pittsburgh area a new twist on seafood cuisine.
“When we discovered Wintzell’s on our travels south, I knew that I wanted to bring the Wintzell’s experience to Pittsburgh,” says Gene Jablonski, owner and franchisee of Wintzell’s Pittsburgh. “I know Pittsburgh is going to love it as much as we do!”
According to Bob Donlon, CEO of Wintzell’s, “We are excited to introduce Wintzell’s to Pittsburgh and welcome everyone to come experience Oliver’s vision of southern hospitality, Gulf Coast seafood and our unique experience.” All Wintzell’s interiors feature hundreds of witty sayings written and collected by Oliver over the years, making for a fun experience for customers.
Featured in national print media, including Southern Living, Garden & Gun and Coastal Living, Wintzell’s is widely known throughout the Southeast region, but has also garnered attention from national TV programs including the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods, Food Network’s Man vs. Food and soon to be featured on HGTV’s House Hunters.
A grand opening celebration will be held Monday, May 20, 2013 at 5:30pm. Media opportunities are available the week of May 13th, featuring Russell Mauceri, a professional oyster shucker from the original Wintzell’s. Russell is an expert in oysters, varieties, shucking and eating. He has been featured on Bizarre Foods, Man vs. Food and numerous local TV programs.
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