Meet Managing Partner Gary Harkness

MEET MANAGING PARTNER GARY HARKNESS

Gary Harkness is a Managing Partner with the Anna Maria Oyster Bars.  He left Northern Ireland for Bradenton in 1980 where he was a rear gunner on a milk float in Belfast. He writes, “It was a great move and I found paradise! No more cold rainy days for me.” Gary hooked up with John Horne at a joint on Anna Maria Island called Fast Eddie’s, and has been in the restaurant business ever since because he loves the people he meets. Gary has one 28-year-old daughter in Wisconsin, with whom he’s planning a trip to go back home to Ireland to visit his 83-year-old mother. Gary also loves golf…. and telling lies!!!!!

 

What is your favorite aspect of your job?

I get to meet a lot of interesting people. Everyone has a story. I should write a book about all of the situations that I have been involved in; never a dull moment! I would have to change my name…whoops, I already did!

(Ask him who Gary Harper is…)

Describe yourself using only film titles.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly… One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest… Cocktail… Cheech and Chong… Dunkirk… Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels… 9 1/2 Weeks.

Tell us about your approach to customer service.

Be nice to everyone! Make guests happy. It’s as simple as that.

What is your signature comfort food?

Seafood!!!!  What else would it be, after 20+ years at the Oyster Bars?

What’s “your” karaoke song?

My music teacher gave me two options: skip singing, or move my lips. I went home.

Related Posts

PACE Winner

To the luckiest duck of all,   Congratulations on winning the Anna Maria Oyster Bar raffle prize for the Lucky Ducky Race for Pace Manatee! 

Thank You for a Great 2022!

What a memorable year 2022 was…in so many ways, wonderful and exciting….and in so many ways, challenging…and I know many of you can relate. We’re

John Horne Named FRLA Chair | Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association

Earlier this month at the Hospitality Stars of the Industry gala event, surrounded by our executive team and general managers, I officially became the Chair of the Board of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. It’s truly an honor to have the opportunity to represent and advocate for the hospitality industry in this way. Read more about why the FRLA is so important to me and the initiatives at the top of my to-do list.