March 20
March 20, 2007Vergie Petersen
March 23, 2007
When it comes to seafood restaurants in Houma, plenty of options exist. Still, despite the multitude of choices, there is one restaurant that stands out. Perhaps it stands out because of the boiled seafood; perhaps for the casual, laid back atmosphere; or maybe it stands out because of the other options on the menu, such as the fried seafood.
Whatever the reason, a visit to Big Al’s Seafood Market on a Friday or Saturday night will confirm that the restaurant does indeed distinguish itself for one reason or another. The lines of customers prove that.
Big Al’s opened its doors on Grand Caillou Road in May of 1995, and has grown into what can almost be considered a Houma institution. Earlier this year, it expanded onto Tunnel Boulevard, where the former Savoie’s Cajun Cooking was located.
Owner Al Mahler says it is consistent-tasting food that keeps customers coming back. “My purpose is to satisfy the public,” says Mahler. “I put a lot of effort into my boiled seafood. I use a lot of seasoning, and I try to come out with a consistent product. It’s just consistent food, because I try to be as consistent as I can.
“And then the portions are very generous,” he added. “A lot of food is given out, and people appreciate that.”
Because of the Lenten season, Big Al’s is in the thick of its busiest time of the year. “If you break it down,” he said, “boiled seafood is about 60 percent of our business during Lent.”
Before opening Big Al’s, Mahler owned another seafood market, Sportsman’s Corner, along Grand Caillou Road. “That’s where I pretty much started,” recalled Mahler. “I sold and boiled live crawfish there.
“The guy that owned the building over here (Big Al’s current location), was a good customer of mine,” said Mahler. That customer suggested that Mahler buy the building and open a restaurant. “I knew how to boil seafood and all, but I didn’t know a whole lot about the kitchen,” he said. “But we ended up opening a restaurant. People knew who I was from my little seafood market, and Big Al’s just took off.”
From there, the restaurant has expanded into Big Al’s II, which is where Mahler plans to focus his to-go crawfish and catering business, and the new location on Tunnel Boulevard. “It’s much bigger than the one over here,” said Mahler. “I couldn’t accommodate a lot of the customers over here, because a lot of people wouldn’t come across town because they never could get in.”
Now they can. The west side location seats around 250 customers, twice as many as the east side location. “But this one’s staying busy,” said Mahler said of the original. “It hasn’t effected this location.”
Part of the reason for the continued popularity of the original location might be the smaller size, suggested Mahler. “It’s just casual,” he said. “It’s really tight. A lot of regulars come back and they know everybody, so everybody talks to each other. It’s pretty neat.”
While Big Al’s current expansion is just a cross-town growth, Mahler says he hopes for future expansion outside of Houma, even entertaining the possibility of a New Orleans location in the future. “It’s just a few ideas that we have,” he said.
Still, aiming to please customers that visit his Houma locations remains Mahler’s primary goal. “I just appreciated my customers,” he said. “I try to satisfy everybody.”
Owner: Al Mahler
Type of food: Boiled and fried seafood
Locations: Grand Caillou Road and Tunnel Boulevard
Phone Number: 985-876-7942
Opened: 1995
