Big Daddy’s Oyster Bar & Pub celebrates its one-year anniversary this week in Peachtree City, and owner Dave Sutherland couldn’t be happier. The oyster lovers, sports fans and poker players that gather regularly at the restaurant are also pleased to be celebrating a year of good food and entertainment that keep them coming back day after day.

Big Daddy’s offers a diverse menu of seafood, steaks, burgers, wings and salads. Oysters are naturally the restaurant’s claim to fame and remain a customer favorite. As far as Sutherland knows, he owns the only oyster bar on the south side of Atlanta, and he serves them up chilled, steamed or baked.

As both owner and chef, Sutherland lists his favorite oysters right on the menu. Dave’s Favorite consisted of oysters baked or steamed on the half shell, topped with cheddar and pepperjack cheese, spinach, bacon, jerk sauce and jalapeños. The menu warns this dish is “not for amateurs”.

Other oyster styles include Rockefeller, topped with spinach, bacon and cheddar, or Feta Greek, with butter, fresh chopped garlic, chopped parsley and feta cheese, along with the always-popular chilled raw oysters. All in all, there are nine different styles to choose from with a full range of toppings, and start at $5.95 for a half dozen.
Oysters aren’t the only thing bringing in the crowds at Big Daddy’s, and seafood lovers have a full menu to decide from.

The Grouper Sandwich is another popular item, and features a fried or grilled grouper filet, topped with tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato and onions on a hoagie roll for $7.95. Or try the entrees of grilled mahi-mahi, fried butterfly shrimp or a full pound of Alaskan snow crab legs starting at $12.25.
Even customers enjoying turf more than surf will find plenty to choose from on Big Daddy’s menu.

The 14-ounce ribeye steak comes hand cut and rubbed with virgin olive oil, fresh chopped garlic and cracked peppercorns and chargrilled to perfection with a baked potato and fresh side salad. The Il Padrino sandwich combines salami, cappicola, pepperoni and provolone on a hot and toasted hogie with lettuce, tomatoes and onions, and the Big Jerk Jack smothers a hamburger in chef Dave’s own special Caribbean jerk sauce and jack cheese for a tasty meal.

But customers aren’t crowding Big Daddy’s just for the food. Sutherland keeps the schedule packed with various activities and entertainment each night of the week. Poker games are held on Mondays,Wednesdays and Thursdays. “Dead Tuesdays” feature Grateful Dead music all night and weekends are hopping with dance party music and live DJs.

Stop by between 3 pm and 6 pm Monday through Friday for daily food and drink specials like 25-cent wings, 50-cent fried oysters and 1-dollar drinks. In addition, Wednesdays are officially All You Can Eat Crab Legs for only $18.95.

Customers Peter and Reenie Dodson are fans of the Wednesday night crab legs special, among other dishes.

“We are regulars here for lunch and dinner,” the couple says. “Of course we like the oysters, and we’ve also tried the wings, steak, chicken fingers and burgers. The Reuben and French Dip sandwiches are particularly good, and the drink selection is good.”

They also compliment the outstanding service, and enjoy when Sutherland comes out of the kitchen to check on his guests. Sutherland credits his father Jim with the idea for Big Daddy’s.

“He did the research, obtained the space and came up with the idea for an oyster bar,” Sutherland explains. His father remains the chief investor and inspiration behind Big Daddy’s name, even loaning his silhouette to the restaurant’s logo.

As owner and chef, Dave Sutherland has taken charge of the restaurant, writing the menu and managing his service staff, a hard working and dependable team. The favorite part of the job for this Art Institute of Atlanta Culinary School graduate remains food preparation, creating his own sauces and soups. He credits his success to the love and support of his parents Jim and Katha Sutherland.

With Big Daddy’s big anniversary upon him, Dave Sutherland says he is excited to make it through the first year at the restaurant. “It’s been quite a learning experience,” he said. “I look for us to continue to grow and prosper and a special thanks to the wonderful people of Fayette County for welcoming me here. I love what I do.”

Big Daddy’s Oyster Bar & Pub is located in the Peachtree Crossings Shopping Center at Peachtree Parkway and Hwy 54 in Peachtree City. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from noon to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 2 a.m. For more information, call 770-632-1563.

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