Seafood lovers don’t have much longer until Shrimp Basket opens

Seafood-loving Columbus-area residents hungry for their Shrimp Basket fix don’t have too much longer to wait.

The Gulf Shores, Ala.-based restaurant company says it is “looking at next month for the opening” of the Shrimp Basket Columbus location at 6073 Veterans Parkway on the city’s north side. It is part of a small development anchored by Keller Williams Realty River Cities, which includes a new Dunkin’ Donuts outlet already serving customers.

In anticipation of its February opening, Shrimp Basket has applied for an alcohol beverage license with the city. It also has started the hiring process and is now taking applications for the local restaurant. Positions listed on its online career page include general manager, kitchen manager, assistant kitchen manager, assistant manager, cook, kitchen help, servers and host and hostesses.

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The Shrimp Basket menu is known, naturally, for its shrimp (to include a shrimp and grits dish), as well as a wide assortment of fried, grilled and steamed offerings of fish, shrimp, crawfish, crab claws, clams and oysters, both cooked and on the half shell. There are steamed platters and shrimp country boil, various po boy sandwiches, specialty seafood burgers and chicken items for those not into devouring seafood. Sides include seafood gumbo and smoked tuna dip, with salads also on the menu. Those with room left over have a choice of key lime pie or funnel cake fries.

Launched in 1993, the regional but growing seafood chain has 25 locations in south Alabama stretching north to the Birmingham area, as well as along the Florida Panhandle. There’s also a lone Mississippi eatery in Hattiesburg, with the Columbus location being the first in Georgia. The closest outlet to Columbus now is on South College Street in Auburn, Ala.

The buzz is building for the Columbus location, with local residents consistently asking Shrimp Basket on Facebook when they will make their debut here. “I can't wait for the Columbus, GA Shrimp Basket to open,” said Marti Priester.

Jack Hayes, a broker with KW Commercial, has been working on the project that includes the 5,500-square-foot Shrimp Basket structure and an accompanying outdoor seating area that will include misting fans in the heat of the summer. The stand-alone building will have coastal look to it and is to be a prototype for Shrimp Basket as it entertains future franchise restaurant operators during its future growth.

The Shrimp Basket’s motto is “We’re Grillin’, Steamin’ and Fryin.’”

This story was originally published January 17, 2017 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Seafood lovers don’t have much longer until Shrimp Basket opens."