SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Wintzell’s Oyster House is set to open its sixth location in Spanish Fort in late July or early August. The new restaurant will call home the old location of Roussos, right next to the fountain courtyard in the Eastern Shore Centre.

Roussos is now open in Daphne on U.S. Highway 98 in the old Ruby Tuesday’s building after spending almost five years at the Eastern Shore Centre.

“We want to open Aug. 1 for the Eastern Shore Centre’s tax-free weekend, but it’s not definite,” Bradley Martens, public relations for Wintzell’s, said. “The store has no official opening date at the moment.”

Although Wintzell’s is known for its oysters, there are still many items on the menu that are sure to please.

The menu includes something for everyone; not just seafood. Wintzell’s also serves USDA steaks, chicken, fish, po’ boys, pastas, salads, sides, dessert and the usual: oysters any way you want them — including fried, stewed, nude and now even charbroiled. Wintzell’s also has platters for those who can’t decide on just one type of seafood. From crab claws, stuffed crab, shrimp, softshell crab and many others, the platters are sure to please the tastebuds.

When asked what brings Wintzell’s to Spanish Fort, owner and CEO Bob Donlon replied, “We have one location in Fairhope and we had planned to eventually be in the Spanish Fort area. We had been interested in the northern part of Baldwin County and we hope to eventually move over to the Gulf Shores or Orange Beach area.

Wintzell’s takes pride in its Gulf seafood and gumbo, which has won several awards and has been called Mobile’s best gumbo numerous times. The gumbo has won awards from Mobile Bay Monthly and Taste of Mobile, as well as many others. Willard Scott, author, named Wintzell’s in his All-American Cookbook for having the best oysters and crabs.

“They have people in the kitchen who can shuck oysters as fast as you can eat them — and they make crab cakes that are truly divine," Scott wrote in his cookbook.

Wintzell’s has also been featured inside Delta Sky, Coastal Living and Southern Living. The restaurant received an award by the National Restaurant Association for the state of Alabama for their deep commitment with the community.

Wintzell’s first opened in 1938 as a six-stool oyster bar on Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile. J. Oliver Wintzell turned the phrase “fried, stewed or nude” into a successful restaurant that recently expanded out of Alabama over to Hattiesburg, Miss.

The Wintzell family sold the restaurant in the 1970s, however, the new owners kept the original decor, and the original restaurant is still up and running in downtown Mobile. Signs by the thousand are still featured on the walls at all restaurants with fun, homespun sayings.

”Spanish Fort is really growing and we think that would be a great fit for us,” Martens said.

With the new additions coming to Spanish Fort, such as the Bass Pro Shop in the new Spanish Fort Town Center, Wintzell’s officials feel the new restaurant may one day be the one bringing in the most business. The new 14-screen Premier Cinemas and new apartments behind the Eastern Shore Centre are also expected to help with sales.

“We’re hoping this will be a high-volume restaurant for this area,” Martens said.

The first franchise location opened in Lake Guntersville, Ala., near Huntsville, June 3 and according to Donlon, the store is already setting sales records after opening only a month ago.

“When you think in terms of location, you think about growth patterns. We think this is going to be a location that will have steady sales each year,” Donlon said. “We feel Eastern Shore will do great in summer time and during the holiday seasons. We try to look for sites that will compliment the highs and lows.“

According to Donlon, the company watched other new food locations in Eastern Shore and were inspired at how well they succeeded.

“We think in a major lifestyle shopping center like this the store will have good sales,” Donlon said. “The name is also important.”