Paul’s Burgers and Fries proves you don’t need a long menu to make people happy. You just need to do a few things really, really well.
Owner Paul Johannesmann grew up in Mobile and has been in the restaurant business most of his life, working everywhere from Felix’s Fish Camp to Mellow Mushroom to the Bluegill Restaurant. After living on a farm in North Carolina and working in beer and wine distribution for two decades, he moved back home and finally opened a place of his own.
Paul’s Burgers and Fries opened in Johannesmann’s cousin’s old barbecue joint when Cotton State BBQ moved to a new location. Smoked smash burgers had been part of their conversations for years. When Johannesmann took over the space, he brought that idea to life with beef from Perdido River Farms. “I lived on a farm for 20 years. I’ve had cows and grown my own food, so when I learned that Perdido River Farms cows were grass-fed and local, that’s something I wanted to support,” he says…