Episode 10 | Kieran McGill

The Atlanta Story

The Atlanta Story podcast features meaningful stories of Atlanta’s builders, creators, and entrepreneurs. In this episode Jon Birdsong sits down with Kieran McGill, Owner of Fadó Irish Pub.

Kieran moved to Atlanta with plans to stay for 24 months. Today he’s transitioning into his 24th year as the owner of 8 total pubs worldwide with 300 employees. In today’s episode we talk about what makes Fado have the purest pour in the United States, how to build an authentic Irish Pub, what trends he sees in the industry, how he’s maintained longevity in a transient industry, and much more.

The Atlanta Story is put together by the folks at Atlanta Ventures -- and we can’t wait to share some of the personalities behind the brand. Atlanta Ventures invests in entrepreneurs through community, content, and capital -- most notably through our Studio with companies like Greenzie and Intown Golf Club. We believe the best entrepreneurs learn from other great artists in different fields.

In this episode, we discuss…

1. In 1996 you opened your first Fadó Irish Pub, how did you find the location? How did you transition with the streets of Buckhead?
2. Tell us a story about your favorite night at Fadó Irish Pub?
3. How has Buckhead changed over the years?
4. Irish Pubs have been around for years, what makes your’s so long lasting?
5. Tell us another story about when you thought this may or may not work?
6. You’ve got 8 of them, how did you decide to grow them at the rate you’ve done?
7. Talk to us about how you decided to design them the way you did?
8. Did you know you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?
9. When I think of Irish Beer, I think of Guinness. What has evolved over the past 30 years in the sense of Irish beer?
10. Can you walk us through some of the decisions you’ve had to make over the past 18 months to keep Fadó surviving and thriving?
11. What got you into the industry in the first place?
12. How and where do you continue to grow and scale your business?
13. Talk to us about your clientele. How many are coming here due to Irish ties versus getting an Irish experience?
14. What makes a great Irish Pub? Compared to another pub?

Resources discussed in this episode:

IF ANY

How you can get involved:

Visit atlantaventures.com/studio if you’re interested in learning more about Atlanta Ventures and the Studio.

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