Open for business -- Mother Rucker's staff opens doors, welcomes Soldiers

FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- After three years of planning and building, Mother Rucker's, located on Fifth Avenue, is now open for business.

Fort Rucker officials and The Landing staff cut the ribbon at the front entrance of the new establishment Jan. 24 and said the opening marked the culmination of years of hard work."We all affectionately call the home of our Branch, Mother Rucker," said Brig. Gen. Anthony G. Crutchfield, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker commanding general. "You have to smile when you say that. Frank (Zerbinos, Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation business operations officer), was really the visionary behind all this. He's the guy that was the brain-power behind all of this."

Zerbinos said all the work paid off with the grand opening ceremony.

"This is a great, fun day," he said. "We've been waiting for a couple of years while we worked on this."

Justin Mitchell, Fort Rucker deputy garrison commander, said the journey from planning to opening was an exciting adventure.

"In 2008, we determined a standalone facility was needed. In 2009, the name 'Mother Rucker's' was determined, and in 2010 we had the groundbreaking ceremony and, almost a year later, here we stand," he said.

The new 18-and-over facility features pool tables, dart boards, 12 high-definition televisions and a variety of food and beverages that can be served either inside or outside.

Mother Rucker's has actually been open since last week, and the response from Soldiers has been excellent, according to William Graham, Mother Rucker's general manager.

"We originally planned to go with just a few menu items, but we decided to go with a full menu instead," he said. "It was kind of a mini-grand opening. The Soldiers really seem to love the atmosphere and it's great to see people from the outside community coming in as well."

The menu at Mother Rucker's features a variety of food including burgers, chicken fillet sandwiches, chili, nachos, hot dogs and a Portobello mushroom burger that is actually a veggie burger, Graham said.

The establishment's grand opening is convenient for another reason: the Super Bowl is Feb. 6.

Graham said there will be plenty for Soldiers and patrons from the surrounding community to enjoy at Mother Rucker's that day.

"We'll be showing the Super Bowl on all the televisions, we'll be giving away T-shirts and other Mother Rucker's memorabilia and people will be able to enter for a chance to win a jersey from each team at half-time," he said.

Mother Rucker's is open seven days a week from 4 to 11 p.m., except on Super Bowl Sunday when pre-game activities begin at 2 p.m.

For more information, call 598-8025 or visit www.ftruckermwr.com.