Page 194 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2022

FINAL SAY
BRIAN
MCLELLAND
Part-Owner, Sully’s Legendary Food and Drinks
The story behind Sully’s is a simple one at first glance – three Coors Lights and a handshake – but it goes far beyond that.
My name is Brian McLelland, and I am one of three owners of Sully’s Legendary Food and Drinks. I never thought I would be in the restaurant business, but fate knew better.
It all started with music. I met one of my future partners at my music store when he was shopping for instruments for his kids. Stephen Hampton of Virginia was stationed at Camp Shelby military base, and it didn’t take long for our relationship to grow. Hampton is one of the best story tellers I’ve ever known. He told stories about working in restaurants as a kid and had dreams of one day owning his own restaurant featuring live music.
In 2010, an opportunity arose for me to buy a liquor store on the outskirts of town. It shared space in a strip center with a church – great combo, huh? Then one day the church was gone, and I was “blessed” with an idea. Although it seemed like a bad location, it was barely inside the city limits so it was the last place to buy liquor before crossing into the dry county.
Knowing Hampton was nearing his retirement from the military, I asked him about his seriousness of wanting to own a restaurant. I told him about the space and asked him to take a look. He came by and saw what I saw: potential. Potential for this strip mall church to be a unique neighborhood bar and grill. I, having no restaurant experience, figured we could use some help, so we discussed bringing in a third partner.
Scott Lowry, who I’ve known since t-ball, grew up working in his family’s restaurant, The Gold Post. It’s one of the oldest in Hattiesburg and still a local favorite. I knew he would be the partner we needed. We met one afternoon in the music store parking lot. Three Coors Lights and a handshake later, we had a plan. Scott and I would scrape up some money, and Hampton would head up the demo and build out, we just needed a name. Our name, Sully’s, was inspired by our location on Sullivan Kilrain Road, which got it’s name from the historic site of the bare-knuckle fight between John Sullivan and Jake Kilrain.
In January 2012, Sully’s Tavern opened it’s doors. We started 194 | May 2022
Scott Lowry, Brian McLelland, and Stephen Hampton.
with a staff of five, and three restaurants later, we employ close to 300 and growing.
Our concept is simple: “Not too fancy, just really good.”
With no microwaves on site, our food is made with love and
the highest quality ingredients. Our Certified Angus Beef and Prime steaks are fresh, hand-cut daily, and cooked to order. We have an amazing team that we could not be successful without, and we are proud to feature local musicians every night we are open. Our newest location in Gulfport also features an amazing 10,000-square-foot event space dubbed Richburg Hall. We partnered with one of the best event planners in the business, Ginger Cook, and the calendar is filling up quickly.
With the continued support of our families, our staff, and our patrons, we are excited about the future and the brand we’ve created. Our hope is to continue to thrive for many years to come.
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