The Grandfather and Granddaughter Team of Woody Brothers and Caitlin Nelms are Bringing Beef ‘O’ Brady’s to Albertville, Alabama

Caitlin Nelms loves to hustle. In addition to working a full-time job as an accountant for the local school system, the Albertville, Alabama resident held part-time jobs in the restaurant industry. A self-described “restless person,” Nelms isn’t fazed by the idea of a 70-plus hour work week. 

After much thought and consideration, Nelms decided she wanted to try something new and go into business for herself. In late 2019, she approached the number one person whose opinion she could trust: her grandfather, Woody Brothers. 

Nelms and her grandfather are exceptionally close. As one of her single mom’s three daughters, Nelms grew up close to “Pops” and viewed him as a father figure. He attended her sports games, taught her about finance and acted as a mentor. 

“My grandfather is an amazing person and role model who had a big impact on my upbringing,” Nelms said. “He’s a self-made man who brought himself up from poverty and he loves to focus on helping his family.”

When Nelms pitched her plan of opening her own business to her grandfather, he was immediately supportive. Brothers had recently retired after 36 years with the U.S. Postal Service and was looking for something new—the timing was perfect to go into business with his granddaughter. 

“Caitlin’s been so close to her grandmother and I all of her life,” Brothers said. “She’s our first granddaughter and we helped raise her. She spent as much time with us as she did her mom.” 

Once Nelms received her grandfather’s approval, she began her research and spent a month looking into between 150 and 200 franchise brands. Eventually, she came across the family-friendly sports restaurant Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, and its sister company, The Brass Tap, a craft beer bar concept. 

Nelms had previously worked for a restaurant concept that was similar to The Brass Tap, so she felt confident that she understood the style of restaurant. 

She was also intimidated by Beef ‘O’ Brady’s large menu, but her mind was changed after conversations with Vice President of Franchise Sales Jamie Cecil and The Brass Tap founder Steve Slowey. 

“I reached out about The Brass Tap first and spoke with Steve Slowey,” Nelms said. “He’s an honest man and he told me, based on demographics, that a Beef ‘O’ Brady’s would be a better fit for our area.” 

Nelms is joining the brand at an opportune time. Over the past 10 years, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s average unit volumes (AUV) have increased 53%. In addition, the brand has enjoyed a major business boost in recent years thanks to the backing of restaurant investment firm CapitalSpring, which has provided franchisees with an integrated POS and reporting system, a kitchen refresh, a footprint remodel and more. 

There’s another reason for Nelms to be excited for the opening for her Albertville-based Beef ‘O’ Brady’s franchise, which is tentatively scheduled to open sometime in 2020. Construction is underway on an $80 million recreational complex called Sand Mountain Park & Amphitheater in Albertville, which is scheduled to open in either the spring or summer of 2020 and will attract more hungry travelers to the area. 

“We have plenty of fast food in Albertville but we don’t have many nice sports bars,” she said. “This new complex will help get the ball rolling for our business.” 

Nelms plans to keep her full-time job while franchising with Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, and that suits her just fine. That said, she has recruited a local general manager with more than 16 years of restaurant experience and a kitchen manager who Nelms said will “run that kitchen like nobody can.” 

While Brothers does not have much restaurant experience, he and his wife, Jane, Nelms’ grandmother, are very connected in the Albertville community and will be happy to rub elbows to promote the business. Both Nelms and Brothers are excited to become even more deeply embedded in their communities, with a plan to sponsor athletic programs at the local schools and at the recreational center. 

Nelms’ advice to prospective Beef ‘O’ Brady’s franchisees is to reach out to both current and past franchise owners. She recalled how her grandfather started to dial the numbers of current and past owners as soon as he could during the discovery process. “We did not hear one bad thing about this company, and that was something that really ebbed some of our fears,” she said. 

Above all, the grandfather and granddaughter duo are looking forward to being in business together. “We have a lot of family time already,” she said. “We all meet for lunch Monday through Friday. It’s going to be interesting to see how business mixes with family.” 

Brothers is confident that Nelms will be an excellent leader in their new venture. “She’s really been a successful girl and is so outgoing and energetic,” Brothers said. “I’m confident that this is something we’ll really enjoy doing together and we couldn’t be more excited to start this venture.” 

The startup costs for a Beef ‘O’ Brady’s franchise range from $806,825 to $1,288,350. The franchise fee is $37,500. To learn more about franchising with Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, visit https://www.beefobradysfranchise.com/.