Tyler Kean formerly served as owner and chef at the popular Fairhope Inn until fate had its way.
“A couple of buddies of mine bought Bear Point Harbor where OSO sits. They called me up and asked if I would be interested in running the new place they had planned. Since I owned the Fairhope Inn, I thought the distance between the two would not be an easy task. Coincidentally, that same week, a few people approached me and asked if they could buy the Inn. It sold very fast, and in January 2020 I started with OSO.”
However, there were things that had to be done before OSO opened.
“We completely gutted the entire building top to bottom. We knew that if we wanted to make this something nice we needed to put in the work. We painted everything inside and out. After the physical changes came the menu. In developing everything, it was a collaborative effort. I spoke with several locals and other officials and we came up with it together. Since I was not familiar with the menu before, it kind of worked in our favor.”
Next up was the name.
“We needed a name and the first thing I did was look up what bear was in Spanish. It said, ‘OSO.’ We knew then and there we had the name after talking about it with the new owners of the harbor.”
One of OSO's favorite things is keeping locals involved.
“Tourism will always be there, and locals help keep it. We have a diverse menu where one day someone can come in and get a steak, the next day something else, and the next day something new too. We have a great local following and it is very important to us to keep them involved.”
The Papa OSO is a drink featuring Bumbu Rum, Cruzan Coconut/Banana Rum, Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice, Pineapple Juice, Bordeaux Cherry Juice, and Gummy Bears.