The empty Red Lobster building on McFarland Boulevard East is about to get a new life as Tuscaloosa’s first First Watch, the daytime breakfast-and-brunch chain known for avocado toast and its Million Dollar Bacon. District 7 Councilman Cassius Lanier confirmed the project, and permits were already in place with demolition of the old seafood restaurant underway by late September.
Lanier confirmed the brunch chain is taking over the former Red Lobster at 2620 McFarland Boulevard East in McFarland Plaza, according to Tuscaloosa Thread. The outlet reported that developers already held permits to build the First Watch on the site, and that demolition of the old Red Lobster got underway in earnest the same week as the announcement. The Red Lobster location had sat vacant since closing in July 2024, after the national seafood chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection that May, per the same report.
The new restaurant will mark the first First Watch location in the Tuscaloosa and Northport area, according to The Bama Buzz, which reported that the City of Tuscaloosa confirmed the chain will open in the former Red Lobster building in McFarland Plaza. No opening date has been set yet for the Tuscaloosa restaurant.
What to Expect on the Menu
First Watch bills itself as an American daytime dining restaurant serving breakfast, brunch and lunch, and closing in the afternoon, Tuscaloosa Thread’s report notes. Most locations run from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and the Tuscaloosa restaurant is expected to follow those same hours, per The Bama Buzz. Established locations typically close for Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to the outlet.
The chain’s menu has built a loyal following around dishes like Avocado Toast, the Chickichanga and Million Dollar Bacon, according to a report from al.com. The Bama Buzz also lists Floridian French Toast and the Purple Haze drink among the offerings that have made First Watch a draw for brunch regulars elsewhere in Alabama.
A Chain on the Move Across Alabama
First Watch began in California in 1983, Tuscaloosa Thread reports, and the company has since grown into a nationwide presence with more than 600 locations across the country, according to The Bama Buzz. A separate report from ucbjournal.com put the chain’s footprint at 665 restaurants across 33 states, including 586 company-owned and 79 franchise-owned locations, with plans to add 60 to 62 net new restaurants system-wide this year.
Alabama has become a regular stop in that expansion. First Watch had five locations in the state with one more in planning as of November 2024, al.com reported at the time, and The Bama Buzz now counts seven First Watch restaurants across Alabama. Earlier this year, the chain opened a 4,400-square-foot restaurant in Alabaster with seating for more than 170 guests and roughly 30 employees, according to ABC 33/40, which also reported that location runs daily from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for dine-in, pickup and delivery.
Following a Pattern of Reused Buildings
Converting a shuttered chain restaurant into a First Watch is not new territory for the company. In Prattville, First Watch renovated a closed O’Charley’s building to open its location there, which now employs about 50 people, manager Kish Austrie told the Montgomery Advertiser. And the Tuscaloosa project isn’t the first time First Watch has moved into a former Red Lobster: the chain also opened a location on Bel Air Road in Maryland inside a former Red Lobster building, an 8,000-square-foot space with indoor and outdoor seating for 160 people that was described as the chain’s largest location to date, according to WMAR-2 News.
For now, Tuscaloosa diners will have to watch the McFarland Plaza site for progress as construction moves forward on the old Red Lobster lot. No timeline for the Tuscaloosa opening has been announced, but with demolition already underway, the city’s first taste of First Watch’s breakfast and brunch menu appears to be getting closer.
Dining and Cooking