Northport City Council will meet Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Northport City Hall to take up a public hearing on a resolution that would authorize a project development agreement for Big Mike’s Steakhouse. The proposal would move the restaurant from Moundville to Northport, across from Walmart, if the council gives it final approval.
The plan centers on a new commercial building of about 6,720 square feet that Winship, LLC would construct for Big Mike’s use. Under the agreement, the city would buy the finished building and lease it back to the restaurant, which would pay rent equal to 5% of gross sales each year. An additional 2% of sales tax and 2% from a potential cooperative district would go toward repaying the city’s debt, while Northport would keep the extra 1% of sales tax for its general fund. The city’s total principal investment would not exceed $4.8 million.
Big Mike’s would also have to operate at the site for at least twenty years. If it does, the restaurant could buy the property for $100. Adoption of the resolution has been recommended, but the vote comes as some residents have criticized the deal on social media, saying the city is giving too much away at a time of volatility in the restaurant business.
Big Mike’s is already known beyond Moundville, with locations in Andalusia, Auburn, Bay Minette, Guntersville, Millbrook, Orange Beach and Thomasville. It was voted the No. 1 Steakhouse in the State of Alabama by the Alabama Cattleman's Association, a distinction supporters are likely to cite as Northport weighs whether the public financing package is worth the risk.
If the council approves the resolution, a cooperative district will be formed, financing arrangements will be finalized and legal validation proceedings will move forward in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court. That leaves Thursday’s meeting as the first real test of whether Northport wants to lock in a long-term restaurant deal that could reshape one corner of its commercial map.
