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b.f.f. b y R y a n L o f t i s
Y ou’ve been enjoying a beautiful 30-A summer day, and now it’s time for refreshment. A frozen cocktail sounds great, but you don’t want to spend the time it would take to go to a restaurant. Well, thanks to b.f.f., the new walk-up bar located next to Great Southern Cafe in Seaside, you don’t have to. Place your order at the counter (Astroturf has been laid in front for your comfort), and you can have your drink and be on your way in approximately 30 seconds. “A lot of people walk around and stroll Seaside, and they come up to Great Southern Cafe, grab a drink, and go walking again,” says Dan Tinghitella, director of operations for Jim Shirley Enterprises, which owns b.f.f. “What we wanted to do was open a little business there to be able to provide frozen cocktails that people could come up and grab and stroll around town with. b.f.f. really plays to what makes 30-A so special, which is it’s light, it’s easy, it fits right into vacation, right into the coastal lifestyle. What attracts people to 30-A is how laid back it is.” Jim Shirley Enterprises’ presence has already been felt in the four restaurants, including Great Southern Cafe, it owns in the 30-A area. Jim Shirley, the company’s owner, is an acclaimed chef who has owned restaurants for over a quarter century. Florida Travel and Life magazine called his signature dish, Grits à Ya Ya, “the best Southern dish in the state of Florida”. Former U.S. Congressman Jeff Miller so enjoyed the dish that as a state representative, he took it to an event on Capitol Hill, giving more than 1,000 dignitaries an opportunity to taste it. “b.f.f. is very much in alignment with Jim Shirley Enterprises in that the quality is unmatched, it’s fun, and we use great ingredients,” Tinghitella says. “We’re excited to carry that on.” The opportunity to carry it on arose in March 2018, when Seaside officials asked Shirley to put the vacant space next to Great Southern Cafe to use. Coincidentally, his company wanted another new bar in the area, and the possibility of turning that space in what Tinghitella calls the “epicenter of 30-A” was instantly attractive. Tinghitella credits Landmark Design of Santa Rosa Beach for “creating a hip, modern, and inviting feel to the business — a place that everybody is drawn to.” Meanwhile, he and Shirley spent approximately a month creating the menu, and only recipes that were somewhat unique made the cut. Not that it was all work and no play: “It was a lot of fun sampling frozen drinks.” The bar’s name offers a clue as to what’s on the menu: b.f.f. stands for bushwackers, frosé, and frozens. In fact, b.f.f. is the only bar in Seaside to serve
Every bar needs a signature drink, and b.f.f.’s is called the b.f.f. It consists of vanilla ice cream, bourbon, coconut milk, and, most importantly, banana.
The b.f.f. Bar
bushwackers in a quick-serve environment (like Shirley, the drink hails from Pensacola). Every bar needs a signature drink, and b.f.f.’s is called the b.f.f. It consists of vanilla ice cream, bourbon, coconut milk, and, most importantly, banana. Other drinks will be rotated on and off the menu — vodka orange creamsicles, frozen Kentucky Mules, and frozen mojitos are all planned for spring — but the b.f.f., bushwackers, and frosé are permanent fixtures.
says. The bar was then open for the week of Thanksgiving and the week of Christmas, giving plenty more people the opportunity to discover it. The reaction of those early customers gives Tinghitella high expectations for when b.f.f. reopens March 1. “I think it’s going to be incredible, especially given the great response we’ve had in the fall and even during Christmas week. When the sun’s out until 8 and it’s warm, we expect to be busy all day and all night.”
The BFF current lineup - Bushwacker, Frosé and b.f.f.
Customers’ first chance to try b.f.f.’s menu came in the first week of November 2018. The timing was strategic: “We wanted to create a little bit of buzz and open during the Seeing Red Wine Festival,” Tinghitella
b.f.f. is located at 83 Central Square. For more information, visit its Instagram page, @bffeverybody. Hours are 11:00 a.m. to at least 9:00 p.m.
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