Features Editor

Jan.20, 2000 10 PM

Tony Alcuri sat alone under a cedar tree and asked God to help him build his dream.

God answered his prayers.

"I think if I had it to do over, I would also ask God for somebody to help me build my dream" Alcuri said with a smile. "Building a dream by yourself is a tough job."

Alcuri stood inside his 2,400 square foot dream and couldn’t hide the pride he felt in seeing his dream become a reality.

For almost 30 years, Alcuri had dreamed of having his own business. He wanted the kind of business that would not only benefit him but the community which he calls home.

He envisioned a small restaurant that would be a gathering place for friends and neighbors and a welcomed stop for passersby.

"I’ve always enjoyed working with the public and I wanted to run my own business and be a part of the business community and the social community," he said.

Alcuri’s first experience in working with the public came when he was a tenth grader and got a job at O.K. Ramage Company in Brundidge.

"I really wanted the job and Mr. Albert Hastey hired me," he said. "I worked in the clothing department Monday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, I worked in the market with Lovie Patterson and Otis McDowell. People would call in their grocery orders and we’d make home deliveries. I really liked my job."

After high school, Alcuri continued working in the grocery business with Winn-Dixie in Troy, Ozark and Enterprise. After 18 years, he retired from Winn-Dixie and went to work for Wal-Mart in Ozark.

"I’ve been with Wal-Mart for 10 years and I enjoy working there but, all these years, I’ve held on to the dream of having my own business," he said. "I wanted to open a restaurant so the people of Roeton and this area would have a place to gather to eat and for fellowship."

About two years ago, Alcuri began to seriously look for land on which to build his dream but he could not find any that was in his price range.

"My wife and I had bought an acre and a half behind our house and one day I woke up and looked out the window and I knew what I would do," he said. "I told my wife if I couldn’t find any other land, I would build a restaurant right here in our backyard."

On Monday, Jan. 24, Alcuri’s Backyard Cafe will open its doors and provide breakfast, lunch and supper for friends, neighbors and all other friendly folks six days a week.

Alcuri has a staff of three of the best cooks who have ever spend time behind a stove and, if you’ve eaten any better cooking, you had to have eaten at your mama’s house.

"Our cooks have years of experience and they are sure to please," Alcuri said. "We’ll serve a full breakfast or breakfast to go. Our lunch specials will feature a choice of two meats and several vegetables, bread and tea. We’ll take orders from the menu at night and we’ll also have hamburgers, hotdogs and sandwiches of all kinds. We also will have dipped ice cream and we feel like that will go over real big, especially in the summer. On the weekends, we’ll have catfish and seafood, ribs and chicken. And, of course, the Backyard Cafe will serve Sunday dinner.

"Our prices are affordable for families and our hours are fixed with the customer in mind," Alcuri said.

The restaurant will be open for breakfast from 6 until 9 a.m. daily except Sunday and Wednesday. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m daily except Wednesday. The restaurant will be open Thursday nights from 5 until 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 until 10 p.m.

Alcuri has something very unique and very special planned for Monday nights.

"We will have Senior Citizen Night from 5 until 9 and all senior citizens are invited to join us for a night of fun, fellowship and a little food," he said. "There will be a small admission charge and we’ll have some snack items and soft drinks and coffee and that will be included in the admission. We’ll have table games for everyone to play or people can just talk and visit. There’s nothing in this area for senior citizens and I wanted to provide a place for them to get together once a week. I hope that Monday nights will be one of our busiest times. I’ve enjoyed living in this community. It has meant so much to me and I want to do something to show my appreciation. The cafe is in our backyard and we want people to feel right at home when they come meet up at Alcuri’s Backyard Cafe."

Alcuri’s Backyard Cafe is located south of Brundidge in the Roeton Community about a quarter mile south of the crossroads.