Bud & Alley’s Celebrates 40 Years

Good People, Good Food, and Good Times on the Gulf

By Jordan Staggs | Photography courtesy of Bud & Alley’s

Hitting a milestone like forty years in business is an incredible feat for anyone, especially in the competitive, fickle restaurant industry. But through a determination to succeed, a vision for creating a special community hangout, and a lot of grace, Dave Rauschkolb and the team at Bud & Alley’s Waterfront Restaurant in Seaside, Florida, have achieved all that and more. The iconic restaurant and bar along Scenic Highway 30A in Northwest Florida celebrates its fortieth anniversary on January 15, 2026. Patrons can join the team for a special toast and, of course, the nightly tradition of ringing the bell on the rooftop bar area to signify sunset over the Gulf.

When speaking about the anniversary and the history of Bud & Alley’s, owner Rauschkolb carries a theme through his commentary, continually referring to his career as a restaurateur as “a privilege.”

“When I see how the restaurant has evolved and transformed over the years, and that I had the privilege of buying the property from Seasider founders Robert and Daryl Davis—that they would trust me with it—it’s an honor to know what we’ve done here,” Rauschkolb says. “We’ve been like the entertainment capital on 30A for many years, starting back when we were one of the only restaurants here. We had live jazz back when no one else was really doing music, and our legacy is well known along 30A and around the country with people coming back year after year.”

Rauschkolb says he thinks of some of the other longtime restaurants on 30A—Paradis, Café Thirty-A, and Café Tango, to name a few—as others who have woven a “fabric of excellence” for culinary ventures in the area. He is proud that Bud & Alley’s has been part of that growth for the past forty years and shows no signs of slowing down.

When he opened Bud & Alley’s with his business partner, Scott Witcoski, in 1986, he never dreamed the eatery would one day expand to two stories, multiple dining rooms bars, and outdoor seating areas, plus two adjacent spin-off, Bud & Alley’s Pizza Bar and Bud & Alley’s Taco Bar, which were more recently all united under the same roof in the heart of Seaside. The thing that never changed from the dining spot’s humble beginnings in a Gulf-front cottage is the philosophy of “Good Food. Good People. Good Times.”

“We had laughed when Scott said we should name the restaurant after Robert’s dachshund, Bud, and Scott’s cat, Alley,” Dave reminisces on the establishment’s origin story. “We were on a deadline to put a listing in the phone book, and throwing out ideas when Robert’s secretary said she liked the name Bud & Alley’s. It seemed crazy at the time, but it was the perfect personification of what we would become—a casual, unpretentious eatery with great food.”

He continues, “I have to say that if not for Scott Witcoski, Bud & Alley’s never would’ve happened. The thought of opening a restaurant would not have occurred to me. Robert Davis had inquired with Scott about coming by to look at the restaurant, and that first day, when we walked into the building, Scott looked at me and said, ‘What do you think? What would you think about us doing a restaurant?’ At that moment, my life changed. I dropped out of college to open Bud & Alley’s with Scott—he was twenty-five, and I was twenty-four. We worked our tails off together for twenty years, through challenges and more success than we ever could’ve dreamed of. Scott came from a food family. He was field-trained and an incredibly gifted chef. He taught me nearly everything I know about fine food and wine and a lot of other things. I’m deeply grateful for our friendship and partnership that spanned two decades, and I dedicate our fortieth anniversary to Scott.”

Knowing Bud & Alley’s has built up such a loyal base of fans is the biggest compliment of all, Rauschkolb shares. “When people stop me in Publix or Seaside and speak of Bud & Alley’s with such reverence, it means everything. It takes hard work and dedication to get where we are, and that shows in our team as well. We’ve got staff members who have worked there for decades, even up to thirty years, and they make it look effortless.”

In the busy summer season, it’s not unusual to find lines outside all three Bud & Alley’s locations—the main restaurant, pizza bar, and taco bar—plus Rauschkolb’s fourth Seaside venture, Black Bear Bread Company, whose second location is located across Scenic Highway 30A beside The Court hotel (the first is a couple of miles west in Grayton Beach). “I just pinch myself when I see that,” Rauschkolb admits. “Sometimes I like to sit at the end of the bar, maybe in a hat so I’m less recognizable, and listen to stories people tell in Bud & Alley’s about how they’ve been coming there for years or what their favorite menu items are. It’s just such a privilege to know we’ve made a difference in people’s lives and their vacation experiences.”

Regarding what’s next after the forty-year mark, Raushkolb says there’s no end in sight. “I’m ready to roll into year forty-one, forty-two, and so on,” he says with confidence.

Stay tuned to learn more about Bud & Alley’s fortieth anniversary celebration, which will be coming up in the Spring of 2026!

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