For Irish Mike’s Olde Towne Pub no day is more important than St. Patrick’s Day. They open early and celebrate hard. The bar, which is named for the owner’s father Lt. Col Michael Joseph Howard, has a close history with Dover’s St. Patrick’s Day parade; the owner’s brother helped revive it again.
Bartender Tori Hillers, who has been working at the bar for two years, said it’s their biggest day of the year. She took a moment to expand on their Irish spirit and explain how the bar is like family with customers chiming in throughout.
Q You said you’ve been a bartender all over Delaware. Why do you like Irish Mike’s so much?
A It’s a family establishment, like our local Cheers. I don’t go out anywhere else. I come here where I know everyone.
And we’re treated really well by the owners. It makes a difference. There are four girls who have been here for a long time.
Q St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal for Irish Mike’s. What makes it so special?
A It’s special because we’re the original Irish pub of Dover.
We open at noon on the day of the parade and also on St. Patrick’s Day. We like it when the parade and holiday are on two different days.
The owner makes a whole bunch of food, and you can’t beat homemade corned beef and cabbage. We also have T-shirts we sell annually that our customers get every year and then wear for drink specials.
Q Do you have any funny stories of things that have happened at Irish Mike’s?
A One Saturday night when the bar was full, every single person in the entire place started singing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It was really funny. That’s why it’s so nice to work here; everyone gets along.
Also, the owner got one of the bartenders a male exotic dancer for her birthday — although I wasn’t there — she was really embarrassed.
Q Do you have any tricks you’ve learned as a bartender that make your job easier?
A Work smarter, not harder.
Really learning how to memorize four or five orders at a time is the hardest thing to learn.
Q What are some of your most popular drinks?
A One of the biggest is the Irish Mike’s Drunken Leprechaun, but we have a lot of specialties and each of the bartenders have their own, too. The draft beer drinks also are popular because the prices haven’t changed in 10 years. You can’t get a 22-ounce draft beer for $2.50 anywhere else.
Q What do you like to do when you’re not working?
A I come here.
I also go to the beach and check out bands. I love going to new restaurants and bars to get new drink recipes and if that’s stealing, so be it.
Email Jayne Gest at jayne.gest@doverpost.com
