Sister act have Ireland on tap in Florida bar

YOU’LL need to step outside Culhane’s Irish pub to realise how far you are from home.

Inside, under the cooling air-conditioning, it’s your quintessential Irish pub with all the trimmings, the good and the bad. Irish-themed memorabilia blanket the walls, Christmas music fills the air, the menu offers the likes of Kearney’s corned beef and cabbage to Blarney lamb sliders. Guinness, Murphy’s — and even Harp — are all available from a bar which at last count had 24 beers on tap.

But strolling out the front door is like wandering into another country.

The heat slams you first: it may be late December but the average daytime temperature at this time of year in Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville, Florida, is in the mid to high 20s on the Celsius scale. It’s sandals and short sleeves central.

Then there’s the location: this piece of Ireland is tucked into a sprawling Publix shopping centre, the very essence of middle America.

Love them or loathe them, such pubs are a dime a dozen across the States, but few, if any, have the back story to match that of owners Lynda, Michelle, Mary Jane and Áine Culhane.

The sisters, without any background in the bar business or hospitality training, have in the past eight years developed a business with gross annual revenues in excess of $1m (€730,000), employing 50 people at peak times.

“Our parents, Pat and Kitty Culhane, raised six children [five girls and a boy]. We grew up with a sense of entrepreneurship right from the beginning. Our parents, and grandparents, Peter and Anna, worked on the dairy farm that was passed down from my father’s parents,” explained Lynda of their origins in Ballyneety, Shanagolden, Co Limerick.

“They both worked very hard on the land and it provided all of us a foundation. Our parents passed on to us the lesson that hard work pays off. We were instilled with good manners and morals and we were trained to work the farm from a young age. Family life is where we learned hospitality, the value of hard work, appreciation of each other and love of fresh food.

“Our parents, grandparents, and in particular our neighbours, Michael and Kathleen Walsh, had the gift of the gab and had a natural way of making people feel very welcome. Generosity and kindness was always present in our home life. Happy people attract happy people. Our parents pushed us to be better and bigger. The harder you work, the luckier you become!”

But back in the early-’90s, long before the Celtic Tiger, employment around west Limerick was in short supply.

And so the four Culhane sisters packed their bags and headed for Minnesota, where Michelle’s friends helped them find their feet.

Lynda, though, struggled to take to life Stateside and opted to move home in 1998, but at the back of everyone’s minds there was this idea, this notion of them all working in business together someday.

Five years later, Michelle, Mary Jane and Áine, too, had their fill of Minnesota, but instead of flying back to Shannon, instead headed south and relocated to Florida with the idea of opening a bar and restaurant.

Jacksonville wasn’t an accident. The sisters had researched demographics and were targeting a more mature audience. And without an Irish restaurant in the area, this corner of the Sunshine State ticked all the boxes.

And there was another, more personal reason. Their new home also brought back memories of Beale Strand in Ballybunion, Co Kerry, where their grandparents had lived.

But turning such a dream into a reality was a challenging task. Local lending agencies weren’t biting when presented with the Culhane sisters’ masterplan.

But the more doors closed in their faces, the greater the desire to prove their doubters wrong. In 2004, they took over a failing restaurant in need of an overhaul in every way.

“Our parents re-mortgaged their home to help us with additional funds for construction,” recalled Lynda. “They never once doubted our dreams.”

Making matters even more complicated was the fact that Lynda was still based here in Ireland. But, thanks to the efforts of a New York legal firm, she secured a visa to return to the USA — cutting it fine, arriving back in Jacksonville one week prior to opening the restaurant.

EACH sister soon fell into a defined role. Lynda is in charge of bookkeeping and human resources (her official title is president of Culhane’s Irish Pub, Inc); Michelle oversees the kitchen and daily business operations, Mary Jane is the marketing and promotions guru, while Áine manages the bar staff.

Lynda explained: “Since opening our doors in 2005, the pub has captured the attention of both everyday diners and culinary critics. It is just part of our goal in recreating that true Irish pub atmosphere. We continuously strive to be the most authentic Irish pub in America, with a setting that looks and feels exactly like a pub in Ireland and an experience that will practically transport you to another time and place, where one can revel in friendly banter, delicious food and the perfect pint.”

But even this part of America wasn’t immune to the global downturn. And when it struck the Culhane’s, it struck hard.

“In 2009, our business suffered a downturn, and for six months we didn’t pay ourselves in order to keep the doors open. We didn’t give up and reinvented ourselves by updating the dining room and adding skinny portions at an economical price. Since we had no cash flow, we relied heavily on credit cards.”

And then came Guy Fieri.

Fieri is one of the biggest star attractions of the Food Network TV channel, an acclaimed chef but also the host of the hugely popular show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Fieri rocked up to Culhane’s and gave their menu glowing praise in February 2010. The exposure was, according to Mary Jane, “a gift from God that doubled our business”.

Crisis over, it was onwards and upwards.

“From the first year in business, we have grown over 100% through the year 2012 and we are still increasing an estimated 10% plus annually,” explains Lynda. “We have remained true to our business plan by meeting our customer service and financial goals. We are very excited about our recent renovations, which will seat an additional 50 guests and generate more income. All improvements are paid off by using our cash-flow funds.

“We started off in this business with limited experience but like everything we do in life, we give it our heart and soul.”

And her advice to budding entrepreneurs wanting to make a mark in the food and beverage industry? “You must stay one step ahead of your competition by recognising them, studying them and including them in your yearly marketing plan. Every day we are brainstorming, coming up with unique ideas on how to be the best Irish pub, at the same time still recognising that word of mouth and complete guest satisfaction is the reason why we are still here and excelling. We never take for granted the amazing opportunities and doors that are continuously opening for us; we never tire of saying ‘we are blessed’. My sisters and I have a natural magic together called ‘just being authentic Irish, where family life comes first’.”