Old Fashioned Sam’s is the new kid on the block

A new venue launched late last year by the Chris Kelly Group (CKG) on Dublin’s Montague Street is already making an impact with its unique mix of outdoor and indoor spaces. Liam Kelly spoke to Fionnuala Carolan about the hopes they have for the success of Old Fashioned Sam’s and the changing face of Dublin’s nighttime economy

Chris, Brendan, and Liam Kelly are the three brothers behind the Chris Kelly Group, known for their portfolio of bars, restaurants, and hotels across Ireland and abroad. Their latest venture, Old Fashioned Sam’s, is a highly ambitious project bringing together a number of concepts under one roof.
The first thing of note about Old Fashioned Sam’s is the stellar location on the busy thoroughfare that is Montague Street, which links Harcourt Street and Camden Street in the heart of Dublin 2. The second is the sheer size of the venue, encompassing a number of premises including an old butcher shop, an office space and even a car park.
The stand-out element of this multi-purpose venue has to be the heated courtyard with a retractable red-and-white striped awning roof providing a really nice alfresco feel which will surely be a big hit in the summer months due to a dearth of venues owning such sizable outdoor space in this part of the city.

The venue also includes a bar, a speakeasy and a restaurant on the first floor. The restaurant is named Laura’s, after the Kelly brother’s sister. Liam tells us that they invited their sister Laura in for dinner to surprise her with the news. “She came in for dinner and we handed her the menus – she didn’t know before that so she was delighted. There were a few tears. We have a hotel in Wicklow and we named the restaurant in it Margo’s after our mother and we called the bar Nanny Kelly’s which is my Dad’s mother so it’s a nice nod to the women in our family.”

The CKG has a 25 year lease on the building and the interior design was done before they took over. Kelly explains how they are still putting their own finishing touches to it. “We are changing up some colours and lighting to try to tweak it to exactly what we want. We are really looking forward to getting the courtyard open in the summer as the sun will be there all day long. It will transform the venue. We feel that Saturday and Sunday afternoons will be really busy. We are going to do summer bbqs and live music on Saturday afternoons,” promises Kelly.
Meanwhile, the ground-floor bar has an airy, botanical feel with a marble bar, salmon-hued seating, and natural wood finishes, offset by striking pendant lighting and vibrant plant life draped throughout.
The whole venue has seating for 260 and a capacity of over 650/700 and there are approximately 50 staff so it’s a big operation.
“We couldn’t change the outside much as a lot of the façade has to remain the same on Montague Street. There is an awful lot of footfall on that street. Our walk-ins have picked up over the last few weeks. We did a big launch a couple of weeks ago and all the influencers were tagging it and people know what it’s about now. It’s a completely new direction for us, but we couldn’t be happier with how it has turned out,” says Kelly.
It first opened on 7 November as a soft launch to give them a chance to get their feet on the ground and the full launch was held in January. “We had an awful lot of corporate bookings over Christmas. January was quiet which was to be expected but February really picked up,” he explains.

Family business

The Kelly brothers are originally from Tallaght. Chris is the eldest and as the name suggests, he started the business. Surprisingly, the brothers did not have a hospitality background but both Brendan and Liam followed Chris into the hospitality business after he started his career as an apprentice barman in the Gresham Hotel in 1986. He quickly progressed to barman, assistant manager and manager and left to take a lease on a bar in the Marlay Park Hotel which is now Taylor’s Three Rock. He subsequently got the option to buy it and that was his first foray into ownership.
Liam explains the dynamic of working with family. “We all have our place in the business and as it has grown, we’ve grown into the company with Chris. I started as a lounge boy when I was just 14 but I went on to train as an electrician. I wanted to have a trade, as a backup plan. I worked as an electrician for a while for myself and then went back into the bar business with Chris and Brendan.”
Surely working with family can come with challenges but Liam says that they are used to keeping work and family life separate. “We are all very honest with one another,” he explains. “If someone has something to say, we just say it. You have your rows, of course you do, but it’s over then. We all get on very well. When we are in work, it’s just work. We hash everything out. We’re all very mature and want what’s best for the business.”
The brothers tend to head up different venues in the group and Liam, with a flair for interiors and renovations was tasked with looking after Old Fashioned Sam’s. “I’d be in here four to five times a week at the moment. We bought a place called Ryan’s in Navan just before Christmas so Brendan is overseeing that one. When a new business comes along, we decide which one of us will oversee it and be responsible for it even though we all chip in,” he explains.

Great spread of businesses

They don’t just have city centre properties but a variety of venues throughout the city and beyond. A new addition to their portfolio is the 3 Brothers Pizza brand which is currently upstairs in the Gate Pub in Crumlin and the Black Lion in Inchcore. They will also be introducing a takeaway version beside Old Fashioned Sam’s in the coming months. Other bars in the group include Sinnott’s Bar on South King Street, Capitol Bar on Camden Street, The Kingswood Lodge in Tallaght and Lemmon in Marbella among many others. Chris is also partnered with a distillery that is launching Black Twist, an Irish coffee liqueur.
All of their venues have some sort of food offering and food is seen as an integral part of the business. “There are certain pubs that don’t need a food offering and never will. There’s the likes of The Swan [on Aungier St, Dublin] and the Long Hall [on George’s Street, Dublin] and they’re never going to need food but I think most other venues, especially those in the suburbs do,” says Liam.

Anti-social behaviour in Dublin city centre

Like most Dublin publicans, the Kelly brothers have seen the worrying trend of increased antisocial behaviour on Dublin’s streets. They run a very tight door policy in order to avoid as much trouble as possible but ultimately they would like to see an increased garda presence. “There needs to be more Gardai on the streets and I don’t think people fear the guards enough,” explains Kelly. “There needs to be a massive uptake in Garda presence and consequences for bad behaviour. I’ve seen guys fighting on the street and they send one guy one way and one guy the other way and that’s the end of it. They need to be arrested and put in a cell for the night. Antisocial behaviour can’t be tolerated. If the Guards come down hard on people, it will be a deterrent. People need to feel more safe in town. What was going on during Covid was wrong – people just out on the streets drinking and no control.”
Some changes they have noticed is the way people socialise and use the city centre since pre Covid times. “One of our businesses pre Covid was busy at night time from 10.30pm until 2am. That business is still busy now but all day until 12 and then it empties out. It makes the same turnover but it’s just frequented at different times than before.”
With this trend of town emptying out earlier, does he feel that incoming late-night licences are even needed? “Well there’s no point in having late-night licences if people can’t get home – there are no taxis, Luas or trains. There needs to be more planning to go into it before handing out late-night licences,” he says.
Surely Old Fashioned Sam’s courtyard would be prime for a late night licence? “We don’t have a late night licence now but that doesn’t bother us too much. If we can get them in until 12.30 and they can go off then wherever they want to go – whether that be a nightclub in Harcourt or Camden Street. We don’t have to worry about the late-night messiness – no more door staff. It works for us,” he frankly states.

The buzz of the launch

Getting a new premises up and running takes a lot of work and it would be stressful for most people but for Liam this is what he loves to do and he gets a great buzz from bringing new concepts to the market.
“I love the pressure of a new launch – that might sound crazy but I love the buzz. It’s great to see people come in and enjoy the space. We believe in giving people an experience. The days of people just coming in for a pint are gone. You need to have food and a band or a dj. You can’t just get them in and not give them a good experience. If you are doing food, make sure it’s good food, if it’s cocktails they have to be good cocktails,” he advises. They seem to have all these elements covered well in Old Fashioned Sam’s. The summer ahead will no doubt be busy as this new venue comes into its own.