As the much-awaited global holiday, St. Patrick’s Day, marched its way around the corner, the Volusia community had begun its preparations. The holiday, based on the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, is now celebrated as a secular holiday worldwide. In the New Smyrna Beach community there is not much commotion for the primary patron saint, except for American-style restaurant, McKenna’s Place.
As an opening display of extra effort by McKenna’s staff, both the interior and exterior of the restaurant are decked out in green and gold decorations, including star balloons, as well as numerous clovers, and “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” garlands. You can even see an inflatable St. Patrick greeting customers and guests in the front, and banners displaying Guinness on the railing.
Opened by brothers Mike and Chris McKenna in 2002, McKenna’s Place is now in the hands of owner, John McKenna. McKenna’s has been a center for community support, holding commitments with 45 organizations, including New Smyrna Beach Middle School and High School, the Marine Discovery Center, the Missing Children Alert Program, and many others.
This lively holiday is another way the restaurant chooses to serve its community, and in this case, the community happily obliges. St. Patrick’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year for McKenna’s Place.
Three year-long employee Joseph Tincher says, “It’s just all around busier, and the way the employees are delegated are a little different,” he said. “We put out like ten extra tables altogether to keep up with the load of people we get,” he added.
The holiday at McKenna’s includes a themed menu with classic Irish American dishes like Corned Beef and Cabbage, or McKenna’s Reuben Dip. All these dishes include many classic ingredients of Irish culture like potatoes, cabbage, and corned beef. “It’s basically an American spin on some classic Irish dishes,” Tincher says.
If patrons choose to loosen up on the holiday, there is also a personalized drink menu. Similarly to the food menu, the use of Irish Cream and Whiskey, or the sale of Guinness, a sweet Irish-imported beer, gathers intrigue to their one-day menu.
The local community loves to celebrate the Irish by indulging in McKenna’s cocktails like the Luck of the Irish, or the Tipsy Leprechaun. This drink menu goes over well with guests, though the restaurant was packed, most of the swarm heads straight for the bar.
When it comes to celebrating Saint Patrick, McKenna’s Place has made a name for itself as the best place to go, the yearly celebration being a trademark for New Smyrna Beach.