table talk | FLORA-BAMA YACHT CLUB
Flip-Flop Fine Dining By Verna Gates Photography courtesy of Flora-Bama Yacht Club and Alabama Department of Tourism
Despite the lofty name, the philosophy is come-as-you-are to the FloraBama Yacht Club of Perdido Key. There was no place to get fine dining food while wearing your bikini, especially a wet, sandy bikini. As a native of the Alabama Gulf Coast, Flora-Bama Lounge co-owner John McInnis knew the trials of leaving the beach or a boat and returning to accommodations to clean up for dinner. Often, it was too late or too much effort to shower spouses and kids and rally them back into the car. Calling it flip-flop fine dining, McInnis and his three partners opened up the Flora-Bama Yacht Club where everything but the cooking is casual. “We thank people for lowering their standards when 36 DeSoto
they come to the Flora-Bama,” jokes McInnis, who joined the Flora-Bama in 2010. The Yacht Club sits on the Old River where visitors can enjoy sesame-wasabi pea-crusted yellowfin tuna with toes in the sand. It’s located across the street from the iconic FloraBama Lounge, often called the “Last of the Great American Roadhouses.” The goal for the sister restaurant was to build a beach bar with the nicest white plate food on the Gulf Coast and the million-plus annual customers agree, giving high rankings on their reviews. The Yacht Club is also uniquely situated to
