The wait is over for South Huntsville’s newest dining option at Hay’s Farm. A little over a month after celebrating the third year anniversary for the Madison location on June 1st, Tom and Ashley Brown’s newest south Huntsville location for Tom Brown’s is coming to sweet completion.

When Tom and Ashley Brown moved to Huntsville, Alabama from Mississippi in 2019, they had no idea of the “roller coaster ride” that they would experience over the next few years.

In 2020, catching onto the major developments happening in the City of Madison at the time, the couple opened their first location of Tom Brown’s, which quickly garnered community attention and appreciation. At the time, a second location was not at the forefront of their minds, but an offer fell into their laps that the couple could not refuse.

Shortly after Tom and Ashley began working on the project, the effects of COVID-19 began to drastically shut down supply chains across the world. Opening a second location went from a big challenge to an entirely different beast of its own.

Handmade art featuring some of the south’s greatest icons adorns the walls at Tom Brown’s new south Huntsville location

Ashley sat down with the Huntsville Business Journal to discuss some of these hardships and answer some of the larger questions that Huntsville residents had for months.

With David Guetta’s song “Work Hard” playing ironically in the background, Ashley recollected on the major hurdles that seemed to arise each and every month. Staffing and supply shortages, like all restaurants at the time, became an issue.

Ashley mentioned problems finding chairs, enough glassware for the bar, and even an electrical board that took more than 8 months to arrive. At times, Ashley mentioned, the couple began to have doubts and serious questions, especially when the project started on its second full year with no end in sight.

“We questioned what the lesson was through all of this, and what we found was patience. We had to have patience to keep us working on our knees for hours scraping literally every inch of this floor, and we had to have patience for every step of the process when it came to delays in equipment. When it comes down to it, Tom and I are not quitters. We just found patience along the way,” said Ashley.

And from this patience and hard work came a truly unique dining experience that feels brand new to South Huntsville.

The Hays Market location is where Maximalism and Art Deco meet in a brilliant display of stunning lighting and unique art pieces. The idea for Tom Brown’s is premium casual: it can feature dinner parties worthy of a suit and tie, or fit a more casual date night experience.

The restaurant features more than a dozen chandeliers, mirrors that help spread moody lighting throughout the restaurant and over the bar, a private room for parties and events, and handmade art pieces with some of the South’s greatest icons, such as Nick Saban and Dolly Parton.

And then there are the giraffes. Yes, Tom Brown’s South Huntsville location features three giraffes handcrafted in Italy specially designed for the new restaurant. Two are incorporated artistically into light fixtures, and one greets guests in the front of the store.

The food at Tom Brown’s features beef sourced exclusively from a North Alabama farm, while the seafood is flown in weekly as well as sourced from a local seafood market. This gives local flavor and flair to the recipes that Tom himself picks for each of the North Alabama restaurants. The menu features everything from Fried Alligator to Certified Angus Beef steaks, which are hand cut daily. which are prepared fresh and never from frozen products.

The bar scene features a floor to ceiling wine rack and a creative menu centered around the bartender’s personal choices.

“Our rotating menu allows our bartenders to stay creative, and it also makes our menu unique. I want to surround myself with people that are better than me at what they do. I felt like creating a menu without consulting literal experts was a bad business decision,” said Ashley.

Between the menu, cocktails, and comfortable vibe of Tom Brown’s second location, there is something for everyone to enjoy. If that is not enough, at least come for the giraffes.

“What I really want the Huntsville community to know is that we have heard you. We have heard the questions and anticipation you have had for this new location. It has not been easy, but we have something here that I truly believe will beat all your expectations. And of course, I have to mention art. Who else has a giraffe hanging from the wall? We have two,” Ashley concluded.

Reservations are now open for the grand opening to the public slated for July 5th. The restaurant is located at Hays Farm, one of the newest developments to hit South Huntsville.

For more information, please visit tombrownsrestaurant.com/huntsville-location.