by David Chapman
Staff Writer
A Downtown restaurant closed for almost two years will have a new name, new look and new tenants who hope to bring a splash of Irish-inspired cuisine and live entertainment to the block.
The under-construction Gas Knob Pub, located at the old Amsterdam Sky Cafe next to Veteran’s Memorial Arena, will open its doors sometime in mid-May if all goes well, said owners Michael Hennessy and Ralph Tiernan.
“We want to give this part of town something else to look forward to and appeal to people in the surrounding areas, too,” said Tiernan, who also owns the Fly’s Tie Irish Pub in Jacksonville Beach.
The appeal will come from the full-service restaurant, full bar and frequent live entertainment the owners hope will have people from all areas coming back for more, and not just during Downtown events and sports games.
“I guess you can say we want to be a neighborhood restaurant and bar,” said Hennessy.
Though they want to be that neighborhood fixture, Tiernan and Henry do want to lure patrons attending Veteran’s Memorial Arena events, Jacksonville Suns games and Jaguars games and other events at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. But they also want to lure patrons from the Times-Union Center and Florida Theatre nearly a mile down the Riverwalk.
But that’s not a bad thing for officials from SMG, which manages the City-owned entertainment venues including the arena, stadium, Baseball Grounds and T-U Center.
“We’re happy to have someone there,” said SMG General Manager Bob Downey. “It’s nice that customers and clientele will have another place to go before an event. Hopefully, we’ll all be good neighbors.”
Downey went on to say that Gas Knob Pub would be an asset to the area during the weekdays when there aren’t SMG events scheduled, and he said he is always looking for ways to bring more activity to the area.
Combined, Tiernan and Hennessy have more than 40 years of restaurant experience, as both have grown up with families in the business.
On top of owning Fly’s Tie, Tiernan went to Jacksonville University and Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery School, and he refers to Allen as “The Martha Stewart of Ireland” for her cooking prowess.
Hennessy is from Pennsylvania and attended Widener University where he studied in its hospitality program.
With the education and experience between the two, they see Gas Knob Pub as the next step in establishing themselves independently from their families’ histories in the business.
“It’s time for us to spread our wings a little more and make it on our own,” said Tiernan.
Independent in business, Tiernan will still be taking part of his family with him in his new endeavor.
His brother, nicknamed “Knobbers,” passed away several months ago, and Tiernan said he wanted to maintain his memory by incorporating it into the name.
The “Gas” part?
“In Ireland, a gas man means you’re a funny guy and fun to be around,” said Tiernan. “Besides being in a bar, we figure there are going to be a few gas knobs around the stove, so it works out that way, too.”
One of the problems they are currently working out is area parking — there are few spots to spare and the few meters on A. Philip Randolph are hooded while work is completed on the Bay Street widening project.
“We’re doing everything we possibly can and exhausting every resource possible to make it no problem at all,” said Hennessy. “We’ll have parking available.”
They’ve already made arrangements for a bicycle taxi to ferry people to their cars, and they are working on valet parking and are in discussions with local parking lot officials and the City about getting more space.
For the Downtown worker looking for lunch, the two also advise using the Sunflower Trolley, which stops in front of the building every 10–15 minutes.
The two are anticipating a mid-May grand opening extravaganza with a slate of music already scheduled. Still, one of them is already feeling jittery.
“I’m terrified,” said Tiernan, smiling. “Terrified first, excited second.”
The Gas Knob Pub is tentatively scheduled to open the weekend of May 17. Hours will be 11 a.m.– 2 a.m., with lunch and dinner served until 10 p.m. and a bar menu available until midnight.
Photo by David Chapman