Lessons learned at new airport location
May 25—Tipsy McFly's first month of operation in the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport terminal has been a very educational experience.
Brandon Murphy, kitchen manager of the new location, said it's been a different experience than when its sister location Tipsy McSway's opened 10 years ago in downtown Brunswick.
He was among the first member of that crew as well, working in the kitchen to satisfy the first customers of the popular neighborhood bar and grill.
"It was busy nonstop, 90 to nothing all day until the kitchen closed," Murphy said. "It was rough, but I loved that."
He is, of course, adapting to the new location. It's a very different clientele they're dealing without, however.
Susan Bates, the owner of both location, said the business is right where she wants it to be right now. The official ribbon cutting didn't happen until last week, but that gave her and the staff some room to hammer out the new business model.
"It's different," she explained. "We're not in a neighborhood. At the airport, it's the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Gulfstream, the industrial park, airport parkway, the (Coastal Pines Technical) College. It's a different demographic for us to learn. That's why we started without the grand opening. It gave us the opportunity to fix some things."
Sales have increased every week since the opening, and McFly's is starting to develop some regular customers among both locals who live closer to the airport than downtown and travelers passing through the aviation hub.
"There's so many repeat passengers there that they're getting used to the fact we're there and utilizing us more. They're making a plan to eat before they get on the plane," Bates said.
Because it's an entirely new customer base, Bates says she's learning firsthand how to cater to them. Learning when classes let out at Coastal Pines or when FLETC and Gulfstream go on lunch break and hearing what they want on the menu is informing how the business develops, she said.
Both locations have their own atmospheres as well, which she's playing on. McSway's is in a historic building in downtown and feels more established. It's a place you'd expect to see your neighbors, she said.
McFly's, however, is in the much more modern airport terminal, and while the decor is similar, the feel is much different. "Fancier," in her words. Much of the decorations also pay tribute to Naval Air Station Glynco, a blimp installation that once occupied the same land. It's a big part of the theme.
"What we did with our cocktail menu was change it to reflect Brunswick and the Golden Isles with an airport theme and a nod to Glynco naval base," Bates said.
While the menus are similar — some changes had to be made due to the differences in cooking on electric vs. gas — the cocktail menu is the same.
The names are different, of course. The Kentucky mule cocktail is now the Glynco mule. Other were rebranded as jet fuel, paper plane, blue skies, salty security dog, among others.
While it's located in the Brunswick airport terminal, the restaurant is open to the public and parking is free. Current hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every weekday. For more information, call 912-275-8181.
