‘CHEERS’ TO YOU
Where everybody knows your name
“Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got…” “Hey, Mike! You order already?” Jason Geary leans from behind the bar at City Cellar, on the upper level of Cit yPlace, and shakes Mike Petit’s hand. It’s a ritual repeated “at least three times a week,” figures Petit, who lives in a nearby condo building with partner Leena Tenhunen.
After work, it’s not uncommon to find the two, along with some friends, eating dinner at the bar, making conversation with other regulars and generally enjoying being part of the crowd.
“Most of the bartenders have been there over 10 years and know almost everyone who comes in,” Geary says. “We even have a regular named Norm. But we don’t yell it. And a bartender from Indiana, just like the show.”
Th e sh o w, o f co u r s e , i s “Cheers,” which premiered 35 years ago this week on NBC.
Centered on the cynical barkeeps and barflies at a shaggy dive beneath the streets of Boston, the 11-season hit exemplified, even in Gary Portnoy’s world-weary and warm theme song, the charms of finding an adult clubhouse where you always know someone, no matter what time you get there. Where the bartender starts your drink before you sit down, and where you want to be whether you need to bend an elbow or just bend someone’s ear.
To mark the occ asion, we asked Palm Beach Post readers about their personal local “Cheers” past and present , from upsc ale downtown spots like City Cellar to rock bars, from chain restaurants to even a smoothie shop. These are the places where you go to feel good, and where (and you’re welcome to sing along) everybody knows your name.
“In the end, what gets you is the vibe,” Petit says. “You think of a place like thi s, and a place like ‘Cheers,’ and what they have in common is that they make you feel like family.”
Brogue’s Downunder, Lake Worth
“You could belly up to the bar, not knowing anyone and leave with a few friends,” says Chris Erhard, formerly of Lake Worth, now of Mumbai, India. “(It) also had good local music on weekends. It became the go-to place, especially for those of us in L’Dubs who enjoyed an ‘alternative’ music scene.”
TJ Delaney, also of Lake Worth, names Brogue’s as part of a quadrangle of L-Dub bars where he feels at home, including Rhum Shak, Rudy’s Pub and Lilo’s, because “I can walk to all of them and sometimes visit all four in a single evening.”
Swampgrass Willy’s, Palm Beach Gardens
The venerable Gardens bar and music venue prides itself as one of the best places to see live bands, and its fans agree.
“I’ve debuted four different bands there,” says Jim Brogan of Palm Beach Gardens. “It was just my place to rock out at. They also had a great karaoke night (and) to me, the best burgers around and great bartenders.”
Owner Dave Bl it stein, like “Cheers”’ Sam Malone, appreciates that his place has “touched the lives of so many” and is “pretty proud to say we’ve been around for 21 years. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for people like (Brogan) who continue to support local music, local watering holes, and small business…And we do have great burgers!!”
Morton’s, West Palm Beach
“I guess it’s special in the sense that you can usually go, sit at the bar and just relax as opposed to the faster paced restaurants.” — Aaron Chaskelson, West Palm Beach
TGI Friday’s, Village Boulevard, West Palm Beach (now closed)
“I lived on Village Boulevard and worked in Palm Beach Gardens and didn’t know a soul. I would go into Friday’s to have dinner alone at the bar. They were the friendliest bartenders that I have ever known. The first thing they ever asked you was what your name! After that they knew your name every time you walked in the door. I met people sitting at that bar that I still know today.” — Barbara Cheives, West Palm Beach
Park Avenue BBQ, Lake Worth (now closed)
“Jo would have our teas re ady be fo re we wal ke d through the door!” — Melanie Gerik Fordyce
Foster’s Pub, Lake Park (now closed)
“They had karaoke four nights a week in the late 1990s, early 2000s,” remem- bers Jesse Furman of Palm Beach Gardens about the former bar, which got several recommendations on our poll. “The karaoke jockey was named Mel and we used to go there and ‘Melabrate.’ We each had code names that he would call us up by. It was such a crappy dive bar but yet so charming at the same time.”
The Snuggery, Palm Beach Gardens
Known to regulars like Jim Brogan as “The Snug,” the Palm Beach County institution moved just 69 feet west in 2013, from its original 1976 location, and remains a place that’s so much a home away from home, you find yourself inviting patrons to your actual home.
“The Snug just turned into a family drinking place,” Bro gan says. “You get to know people by their regularity and before you know it you’re having the bartenders over your house for dinner, because you’ve become real friends.”
Jamba Juice,The Pointe at Wellington Green, Wellington
“They are the best! They even know my order by heart and introduce new employees to me,” says Heather Bink of Wellington. She even gets greeted like a certain ‘Cheers’ patron. “Every time I go in (it’s) ‘Heathhheerrrr.’ I love it!”
Houlihan’s, West
Palm Beach (now closed)
For Debra Wallace Brooks, the former Palm Beach Mall restaurant and bar was the favorite place in the 1980s for employees of the mall and the former Richway department store. Happy memories include that time “I was banned briefly for taking a bar stool home after consumption of several of (favorite bartender) Jeff ’s specialties.”
Houlihan’s also served as the setting for Brooks’ party after her wedding and reception, which the whole wedding party attended in formal finery. She’s proud to say that she’s “still friends with most of them, (though) sadly two are no longer with us. I loved the Houlihan’s days even 25 years later.”
Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Royal Palm Beach
“The bartender always gets our drinks without even asking. We’ve brought many friends there and now they frequent the bar too.” — Jennifer Berthiaume, Royal Palm Beach
The Mad Hatter Lounge, Lake Worth
“The bar tenders greet customers by name. People gather to celebrate other customers’ birthdays. (You’re) always bound to know at least a few of the regulars when you walk in,” says Dan Koenig of Lantana. And those regulars gravitate to “the great jukebox (which) usually leads to a crowd sing along.”
The Brewhouse Gallery, Lake Park
“The bartenders are very knowledgeable about all the craft beers they serve and they’re super friendly … The owners are awesome people and they have made a very unique place that feels like a family when you go there,” says Martha Griffith of Lake Park. “Another great thing is that they have a very diverse mix of people who hang out there — all ages and walks of life. It’s really a favorite place.”