In the Game: Moe’s Original BBQ A Walk-off Away from Toyota Field

MADISON — The Alabama connections are strong. The Huntsville connections are even stronger.

But Moe’s Original BBQ, surviving the closure of Cecil Ashburn Drive and now standing stronger than ever after COVID, is opening a location just a short hop away from Toyota Field.

Located along St. Louis Street, Moe’s Original BBQ will be within walking distance of the ballpark and in the center of The Heights at Town Madison neighborhood.

“We are excited about going in at Town Madison not only because of baseball and all the new residential, but because it gets us closer to Redstone Arsenal, as well,” said co-owner Mike Ellis. “The building is there, we have the plans and permits and the first studs in the ground …”

According to Ellis, Moe’s Original BBQ was started by three Alabama boys who took off out west to sow their oats snow skiing in Vail, Colo., in 1988. Ben Gilbert was from Athens; Jeff Kennedy and Ellis grew up in Jones Valley and were friends in school.

Mike Fernandez was from Tuscaloosa. He owned a bar where a friend and pit master named Moses Day (Moe) taught him the art of slow cooking meat over a barbecue pit. Fernandez would later go on to culinary school at Johnson and Wales to become a chef, but after graduation from the University of Alabama, the trio took off to Vail where they opened a roadside barbeque stand.

It was such a hit they opened a restaurant and bar at the foot of their favorite ski slope. They are all still celebrities in Vail.

Ellis, who remained friends with Kennedy, knew they were looking to grow the franchise. He and his business partner Chris Clowers opened Moe’s in Jones Valley in 2010, their 10^th franchise. Today Moe’s has more than 60 locations from Maine to California and Mexico City.

“Our original location in Jones Valley was … known as a family-friendly restaurant,” said Ellis. “We went on to open at the Village of Providence in 2012. That is when we added a bar because most of the locations, especially those in Tuscaloosa and Auburn, were known for their bars, which were hits on game day during football season.

“We also opened a Moe’s in Decatur. We were growing.”

But when the construction began on Cecil Ashburn Drive in Jones Valley, Moe’s began losing money. A lot of it.

“We had never lost a dime and now we were losing $10,000 month, so we closed it,” Ellis said. “I cashed in my 401k and Chris sold a couple of cars and we regrouped.”

They opened in downtown Huntsville two years ago, and Ellis said their rooftop patios and two bars have made Moe’s one of the hottest spots to be on Friday and Saturday nights.

“COVID was tough with everyone telling the public not to go to restaurants, but I guess the crisis in Jones Valley prepared us for anything,” said Ellis. “A lot of restaurants like J Alexanders and Outback have only built one location nationwide this year and that is at Town Madison, so we signed a lease in January, and we feel we are in a great location.”

He said they had to rethink their outdoor design and will have a covered outdoor patio with gas lines for heat and plenty of fans for summer. They have also reworked their pick-up and to-go services to make it quick, friendly, and efficient.

“If you were weak going into COVID, you are gone,” he said. “If you were at least semi-strong like we were going into COVID, it knocked you to your knees, but we’re still standing.”