John Felico and his family have come together to create Auggie's Draft Room, utilizing a new technology which allows their customers to help themselves to a variety of beers, ciders, and wines while eating good food, watching sports, listening to live music and meeting other fun people.
What made you decide to open this business?
My wife and I are semi-retired and we moved here about a year ago. We were in the food industry all of our lives but got a little bored; one day we saw an operation like this in Richmond VA and really liked the technology, so we traveled around the country to check out other places that offered this type of system and found one we liked. We partnered up with my daughter and her fiancé and now we have a nice little family business that we think is a lot of fun.
How did you find this prime location?
When we decided to do this, we had found other locations but they weren’t what we truly wanted so we decided to wait for the perfect property. We figured we were going to be here for the next 30 years so we wanted to open on St. George. I walked the strip every day until one day a For Rent sign went up at this location, which sat empty for a long time. When I saw the sign I immediately called and snatched it up.
Where are you originally from and what brought you to St. Augustine?
My first 27 years were in Brooklyn, NY and my second 27 years in Richmond, VA.
My daughter went to Flagler College, so we visited the area a lot. When we decided to move south, we visited the beaches up and down the east coast and thought St. Augustine had the nicest beaches and fit our lifestyle best.
How do you decide on the beer and wine you are going to carry?
In the very beginning it was just a wild ass guess, but since we opened we just listen to the customers. We probably change our beers 3 to 4 times a day. If you come here tomorrow, there will be 5 different beers on tap. We like to have variety, but there are a few mainstays that are always here.
What are you serving for food?
We only have 7 to 8 items on the menu. I’ve been in the food business my whole life so I know it needs to be fresh and hot. We are selling more food then I could have imagined. We have a very simple menu, house-made pork rind nachos, calamari, cheese fries, and of course wings. I am even finding that some people are coming in just for food.
Do you carry any local beers here?
We have Ancient City, Intuition from Jax, Veterans United, we have quite a few on there and we swap them out all the time.
Are you planning events at all?
Yes! I didn’t realize music was going to be as popular as it has been. We started having live musicians come in and it’s going very well. We are creating a mobile stage in the corner so everyone can see and hear the musician. We will have live music on Thursday and Friday but we can’t do the weekend because of all the games.
What are your goals for the business?
I feel as if we’ve already achieved it. My goal was to create a place that we would want to hang out in, a place where we can meet great people and this is it. I’m here for the next 30 years of my life so I’m fully committed!
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Auggie's Draft Room is located at 3 St. George Street, St. Augustine FL 32084
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