The Red Bar

An Enduring Icon Experience

THE REBUILT RED BAR HAS RETAINED ITS ENDEARING SOUL

BY RENE ENDRES, LUXURY PROPERTY SPECIALIST WITH CORCORAN REVERIE

When my husband, Oli Petit, and his brother Phillipe opened Red Bar’s doors to the Grayton Beach community on Super Bowl weekend in 1995, we all knew that they had created something special — a place that people would want to visit, time and again. They dreamed of giving people an experience that would be unique and unforgettable and make Red Bar a destination. That dream came true with every detail of our beloved restaurant.

Incredible food, nightly live music and its burlesque vibe combine to make the Red Bar a special place. When "The Truman Show" was filmed along Scenic Highway 30A, many stars began visiting, and Red Bar became a go-to place for celebrities.

Now, celebrities hang out for dinner or sit at the bar almost every week. Kenny Chesney named one of his albums after something he heard at Red Bar, Luke Bryan and Brian Kelly both filmed music videos in our place and a documentary on blues music, produced by Mick Jagger, was filmed here — the drummer for our Red Bar Jazz Band was the great Jabo Starks, James Brown’s drummer.

Red Bar is where celebrities mingle with locals and tourists and just relax and get away from swarming fans or media. We think that’s because everyone on 30A feels like they’re a star, as well — and we absolutely love that. People feel completely relaxed in our atmosphere, and it doesn’t matter who you are because you always feel welcome at Red Bar. It’s like a family here — even if there’s a three-hour wait.

Over the past 27 years, we’ve become known for our blackened grouper and phenomenal crab cakes. We also win awards for our Red Bar Bloody Mary, but all of our food and drinks are delicious. Because we like to keep things simple, we have very few items on the menu, which is written on a blackboard carried to the table by our servers. Everything we make has a wow factor, and our giant portions are one of our claims to fame.

Nearly three decades in, we’ve clearly proven that we are a landmark for the area — even after a fire that destroyed our

Red Bar keeps it simple with their chalkboard menu. The Grayton Beach staple is well-known to community members and celebrities alike.

building in February 2019. How exactly the fire started is still a mystery, even after three years. The building was constructed in 1937 and had a variety of different workings and wirings in its walls.

As tragic and hard to believe as the fire was, we knew that there was no choice but to rebuild. How could we not? The County Commission even held a special meeting the day of the fire in front of the burning restaurant to vote and make sure that we would be rebuilt without having to deal with planning and zoning issues. We were so humbled to be considered such a hugely important icon for our community.

Over the next 18 months, we rebuilt Red Bar exactly as it was — with the exception of proper wiring and much better bathrooms. It was a change that everyone noticed and greatly appreciated. On July 15, 2020, we celebrated our grand re-opening. Our soul is unchanged. We have a culture that welcomes you to come as you are; where everyone knows everyone, and no one is a stranger. After the fire, all of our employees returned. Anyone who has been coming to Red Bar for years will always see a familiar face because we have employees who have been with us over 20 years. We are deeply grateful to our Red Bar family — they are the true heroes for making this machine run every single day. Through fire, through pandemics, through whatever comes our way, we will be here. 