Mulligan's Pub, a restaurant and bar located within the Hilton Garden Inn in Ponte Vedra Beach, recently completed several upgrades to make it more inviting for breakfast customers.
"We renovated our dining room about three years ago to give it a little more upscale approach and to make it more of a comfortable spot for our hotel guests and for locals to come in and eat dinner," said Ted Hayes, the director of food and beverage at the Hilton Garden Inn. “After that renovation, we really wanted to eventually upscale our bar as well. We added in a Starbucks location too, so that would be a lot more inviting for our hotel guests to grab a quick coffee on the way out."
Hayes said management decided to move forward with more upgrades to address feedback from hotel guests and the community. The most recent round of renovations took place shortly after THE PLAYERS Championship 2018.
"We were having some trouble with breakfast guests who would come in and not feel as comfortable as we'd want them to because it's also a bar," he explained.
In response to the feedback, Mulligan's added a pastry and dessert case featuring an assortment of grab-and-go breakfasts and desserts. Hayes said management wanted to make the pub feel like a breakfast counter restaurant and not just a bar.
Additionally, Mulligan's completed a series of upgrades to the decor of the restaurant.
"We used a lot more warmer colors," Hayes said. "We got rid of a lot of the green that would be associated with an Irish pub and added in some shades to cover up our very nice liquor display during the morning time, to make it less imposing as a bar."
Another addition to Mulligan's that helped enhance the breakfast atmosphere for morning guests, Hayes said, is the Starbucks counter and display case.
"Now it speaks to the fact we're a multi-purpose location that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and not just a bar," he noted.
According to Hayes, management has been contemplating the changes for about a year.
"Myself, the general manager and owner of the hotel got together and decided that we wanted to be more effective in our a.m. presentation to our guests at the hotel," Hayes said. "With the additions of other restaurants in the area over the last several years, it's become more competitive."
Since making the changes, Hayes said he has received "great feedback" from regular customers.
"I can't think of any negative feedback that we've gotten," he said. "A lot of people who've been coming here for years walked in and barely recognized the place because we added a lot of great textures to the walls, a lot of brick, a lot of distressed signs around the place that adds a nice touch and makes it feel a lot more warm and inviting."
For those who enjoy the atmosphere of a traditional Irish Pub, Mulligan's offers draft beer, a large liquor selection and televisions that play sports and other live events. The menu features fish and chips, shepherd's pie, a signature burger (touted as one of the best in the area by Hayes), prime rib, Boom Boom Shrimp and more. For more information on Mulligan's, visit www.mulliganspubpontevedra.com.
