Lucy Buffett wins 2018 ‘Restaurateur of the Year’ award from Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association

Lucy Buffett, owner of LuLu’s at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, was named the 2018 Restaurateur of the Year by the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association (MBAHA) Thursday.

In June, Buffett opened her wildly popular LuLu’s restaurant at Dockside Village, a walkable dining district along the Intracoastal Waterway in Barefoot Landing. Fans clamored for her signature gumbo, and families were drawn to the restaurant’s manmade sandy beach complete with a volleyball court and countless beach toys, kids’ play area and its water feature, the Fountain For Youth.

The Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association recognized outstanding achievements by hospitality leaders and businesses at the MBAHA Annual Meeting on November 15, 2018. The 2018 awards honor those who have made great strides in their industry.

“I am deeply grateful and delighted to be named MBAHA’s 2018 “Restaurateur of the Year,” Buffett said. “The Myrtle Beach area has been calling me for a long time and we love it here because the area is so similar to our beloved home base in Gulf Shores, Al. I have never been motivated to have more locations just for the sake of growth. I always consider how the LuLu’s concept can benefit the community because it truly is the community that makes it happen. We’ve not even been able to show Myrtle Beach all that we can really do, as we opened mid-year and then Hurricane Florence blew through and disrupted so many lives. So, I’m particularly humbled by this great honor bestowed upon me but I share this with every person on the LuLu’s North Myrtle Beach team. They are the heart of LuLu’s and without them, I am just a woman with an idea.”

Among the restaurant’s biggest hits during its inaugural year include LuLu’s six allergy menus that accommodate diners with restricted diets. The expansive allergy friendly menus include: dairy free, egg free, gluten free, shellfish free, soy free, and seafood free options. To ensure safety and accuracy, a manager comes to the table to take the order before the food is prepared in a special area in the kitchen.

“To many, it’s just another menu but to some, it’s life changing,” Buffett said. “When families come to visit and afterward write me to let me know that it was their child’s first time ever dining out, I know what I’m doing is meaningful. These instances elicit a special community of people who I’m proud to serve.”

This is Lucy Buffett’s third LuLu’s location. She also has locations in Gulf Shores, Ala., and Destin, Fla.

Buffett has been known to assist those in the community impacted by tropical storms and hurricanes. This year’s Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Michael were no exception. The North Myrtle Beach LuLu’s family offered free meals to those in need, served and catered at a local community kitchen, and participated in events that directly benefited those affected.

Her accomplishments are not just limited to her restaurants. Buffett is the author of two cookbooks and a children’s book: “LuLu’s Kitchen: A Taste of the Gulf Coast Good Life,” “Gumbo Love: Recipes for Gulf Coast Cooking, Entertaining, and Savoring the Good Life,” and “Billy Claus & The Spirit of Christmas Island.”

Billy Claus is Santa’s warm weather-loving brother who lives in the Caribbean but comes this way to help Santa during the Holiday season. The LuLuBelles are Billy’s version of Santa’s elves.

In fact, LuLu’s North Myrtle Beach is having its inaugural Billy Claus and the LuLuBelles’ event from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 15 at its Barefoot Landing location. Lucy will be on site to read the fun holiday story and then Billy will visit with the children to hear their wish list to pass on to Santa. Billy and the LuLuBelles will be available for photos with the children.

About Lucy Buffett

Creative chef, businesswoman, author and storyteller, Lucy Buffett is more than a sibling of famous troubadour Jimmy; just as her business, LuLu’s, is more than a restaurant. As creator of the LuLu’s brand, Lucy has taken her initial dream, LuLu’s Gulf Shores & Destin, to become a destination in itself. From restaurants, branded merchandise, cookbooks, Bloody Mary Mix, seasonings, sauces, a children’s book, and Crazy Sista Honey Ale beer, Lucy Buffett combines true Southern coastal graciousness and authenticity with the nerve of a successful entrepreneur. Known as Crazy Sista for good reason, Lucy marches to the beat of her own drum; she plays nice, but usually by rules she has bent, broken or reinvented.

About LuLu’s

The original LuLu’s, a small waterfront dive, opened on Weeks Bay in Fairhope, Alabama in the late ’90’s. In 2003, it was time for a change, so in her typical Crazy Sista style, Lucy picked up the party and moved on – literally loading the restaurant and crew onto a barge for a storied cruise to her now-famous location on the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores.

Serving over 3,500 people daily during peak summer season in Gulf Shores, Alabama, LuLu’s is a family-friendly dining and entertainment destination complex. Other venues on the property include the Bama Breeze Bar to wet your whistle; the Sunset Grill for a little taste from the big kitchen; the Fountain For Youth to cool off the kids; the LuLu’s FUN ARCADE for all-weather fun; the Mountain of Youth, a safe, three-story ropes and climbing course for the adventurous kid in all of us; and Munchkin Mountain for the little tykes to have some ropes course fun.

In June 2015, Lucy and the crew added an additional location in beautiful Destin, Florida. Another true destination complex, LuLu’s Destin is 21,000 square feet and seats 400 comfortably. Keeping true to the LuLu’s feel, it is nestled along the Intracoastal Waterway, on Choctawhatchee Bay; and of course, next to a bridge. Complete with a sandy beach, Fountain For Youth and one of the best views in Destin, Fla., LuLu’s Destin has been embraced by the local community, participated in numerous fundraisers, and employs up to 300 people in season.

In June 2018, Buffett opened her third LuLu’s in Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. The approximately 20,000-square-foot destination combines a great dining experience and a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. In addition to the full-service 400-seat restaurant and outdoor dining areas, LuLu’s features a large sandy beach area inside the complex complete with pails, shovels, and toys galore provides an ideal playtime fix for kids, while live music keeps the adults entertained. The newest location also features the Fountain For Youth to cool off the kids, an outdoor Shag Bar, and will add the LuLu’s FUN ARCADE and ropes and climbing course in 2019.

All locations combine to serve over one million guests per year.