January 8, 2017

Meet Molly Gunn of The Porter Beer Bar in Little Five Points

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Gunn.

Molly, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My husband and I had worked in restaurants for many years when we stumbled across the future space of The Porter. We have always loved great beer, and after doing some serious “research” (aka drinking) we decided Little Five Points was ready for a serious beer! We opened with 100 bottles and 25 drafts and have slowly grown our selection over the years.

We now have over 800 bottles and 50 drafts. We also take a great deal of pride in our vintage beer selection of over 300 bottles of carefully selected and aged beer.

We were semi-finalists in 2014 for the James Beard Best Bar Program and are considered one of the best beer bars in the US.

Has it been a smooth road?
We already knew we couldn’t be everything to everyone, but we have continued to refine exactly who we are and what we can be as time has passed, We have learned to say No to folks. No to catering, No to additional locations, No to carrying beers we don’t like.

That way we can focus and spend time doing the things that are important to us and the business.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are known for beer, but we also serve amazing food. Our specials menu changes every day and our only limitation is food that goes well with beer!

I think our selection and depth of inventory sets us apart from other bars, as well as our attention to detail. We always try to serve a beer in the proper branded glassware whenever possible.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely. Atlanta is great because it’s inexpensive, which allows for more experimentation and creativity. Though I do wish the city of Atlanta provided a checklist for starting a business, there are so many pieces of paper required and no one place to tell you what you need license-wise to start a business.

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