Sunday, March 15, 2009
Food, Wine, Beer & Spirits, "Behind the Bar", Q&A, Atlanta

Drink o’ the week

Getting green at Fadó Irish Pub & Restaurant

What’s the Irish pub experience?

To me, it’s always meant that you’re welcomed at the door and made to feel at home. People talk to you in a matter-of-fact way. It’s somewhat formal but still casual. If you walk into some fine-dining places, they’re too starchy, and at some bars, people don’t go out of the way to get to know you. Our concept is very much based on getting to know guests when they come in. It’s Irish culture. In Ireland, if a stranger knocks on your door, your first response is, “Welcome to my home.” That’s what we try to create.

How will Fadó Irish Pub & Restaurant celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Saturday, March 14, is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Atlanta. And then Sunday, March 15, is a big sports day, so join us for the Nations Rugby Tournament, England vs. France at 11 a.m. There’s a $20 cover.

Monday, March 16, is St. Practice Day—we name it tongue in cheek. Some people don’t like to go out on St. Patrick’s Day; it gets too crazy for them. So this is a chance to go out before the big event.
   
On Tuesday, March 17, it’s St. Patrick’s Day. We open our doors at 7 a.m., and we expect a lot of people. We kick off with Kegs & Eggs, as we’ve done in the past, and we normally get a big crowd for it. We’re trying to encourage people to take a half-day off of work and just come and hang out all day. We’ll have a street festival with live music from 12:30 p.m. until midnight (and then we’ll keep the pub open until 3 a.m.). We’ll have Irish folk music, Irish rock, Irish dancers and the whole shebang.

What does Fadó mean?

It means a long time ago. It’s an old Gaelic word used in folk and nursery rhymes, like “once upon a time.”
    The pub was formed by three Irish and Irish-American entrepreneurs and opened on Peachtree Road in Buckhead in January 1996, and then closed in late October 2007, for the Buckhead development project. We were invited to stay in the neighborhood and are only a black and a half away from our old location. We kept a lot of the old furnishings and bric-à-brac from the old restaurant; we have lots of good memories from the old one, and the tradition goes on. The new, three-level venue was created in Dublin by the Irish Pub Company and was shipped to Atlanta. It comes in crates that we dismantled and put into the building—the keg room, wall décor, everything comes from Ireland. It’s expensive, but it wouldn’t be the same without doing it, since we use a lot of old antiques from Irish bars and homes to create authenticity.

    Atlanta was the original location, but since then, we’ve been fortunate enough to open up 14 locations in different cities across the United States. All have the same owner; we’re not a franchise.

What’s planned beyond St. Patrick’s Day?

It never stops. In April and May, we’ll have huge sports events going on—we get slammed! We’ll be wall-to-wall packed for these events! We’re hoping to do Octoberfest and another street festival, but can’t promise it. Otherwise, it’s business as usual, and let the good times continue. SP