Former Zoe’s CEO opening new Southern restaurant

Local restaurateurs John Cassimus and Tyre Stuckey are hoping the same formula of good food and hard work that fueled the success of Zoe’s Kitchen will propel their new venture to similar heights.

In December, the two will introduce their concept of “fine casual” to Birmingham and Tuscaloosa with the opening of Miss Dots, a restaurant that specializes in freshly prepared food with a Southern flair.  The Crestline Village location is at 49 Church Street, where CVS was once housed.  In Tuscaloosa, Miss Dots is located at 1715 University Blvd.  

Cassimus, an MBHS graduate and former football player, is well known as the former CEO of Zoe’s Kitchen, the Mediterranean-inspired chain named for his mother that has grown from one store to the nearly 160 now throughout the country.  

Stuckey, from Montgomery but now residing in Birmingham, came to Zoe’s from college as a general manager. Over the next 10 years he helped the chain increase from seven to 130 stores, became the company’s head of operations, and banged the Wall Street gavel the day Zoe’s went public in April 2014.

The two have joined forces once again to be co-founders and co-owners of Miss Dots, which, like Zoe’s Kitchen, will offer food for dining in or out, dinners for families of four, catering and takeout for any occasion and count. But while patrons will still place and pick up their orders, they will be able to pass their wait time in quite a different setting.

According to Cassimus, Miss Dots — open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. — will have an “open kitchen” environment, where guests can see their food being prepared.  

“And they’ll be able to relax at the bar where they can enjoy our signature cocktails, wine and beer while catching a game or scores on TV,” he said.  “And they can shop at our in-store market where you can pick up large volumes of many of our items.”

Diners can choose from a variety of sandwiches, salads and plates created with fresh-roasted pork tenderloin or turkey breast, crispy baked chicken, and the house specialty — fried chicken created with a patented preparation process. Several specialty sides prepared with a decidedly Southern spin will be available including old-fashioned scalloped potatoes, Alabama succotash, Miss Dots squash casserole and shaved Brussels sprout slaw.

“Ours is ‘the food for everyone’ concept,” said Stuckey, who also serves as the company president. “We have a wonderful advantage opening in Crestline and Tuscaloosa, but this is also the type of food that can be offered in almost every neighborhood in the Southeast.”

The inspiration for Miss Dots and its fare was Miss Dot herself, Cassimus’ neighbor in southeast Alabama where he lives on his farm and hunting destination, Sawtooth Plantation. 

“She started working here and, like my mom, is very talented — but using the Deep South flavors and not Mediterranean,” he said. “We’ve cooked together over the last seven years and I’ve taught her my skills like lots of steaming and roasting, and she’s taught me hers. The results have been so amazing that we’ve had professional chefs visit and rave about the food.”

Both Cassimus and Stuckey hope that the city where Cassimus grew up will fall in love with their newest venture.

“You want to bet on it, but you can’t assume anything because you just don’t know how consumers will react,” Cassimus said. “But the food is over the top and if things go well over the first months, we’ll ramp up expansion plans and may well have 15 Alabama stores within three years.”

Stuckey, too, is optimistic about the future of Miss Dots.

“One of the big things John and I have in common is a belief in an important key to this business,” he said. “We know the recipe for success in this very competitive food industry — placing a tremendous focus on our food, our team and the environment we operate in.”