Brothers Meghl and Raj Patel have known what it’s like to run a business from an early age. When the Middle Georgia natives weren’t at school, often they were working at one of their family’s gas stations or hotels, doing anything from stocking shelves to making beds to pushing around the luggage cart.
“It’s just been something that’s been second nature to us from the very beginning,” Meghl Patel said.
Meghl, 28, and Raj, 26, along with their three older brothers, are all involved with the gas stations and hotel chains that their family operates throughout the state. Now, the youngest two Patel brothers have become franchisees of Florida-based craft beer bar chain the Brass Tap.
Set to debut June 3 at 1420 Terrell Mill Road in Marietta, the bar will have 60 beers on draft. About 40 of those will come from craft breweries in the Southeast, including Monday Night, Reformation, Three Taverns, Terrapin, Arches and New Realm as well as Florida-based Cigar City.
In addition to craft beer, the Brass Tap will have a full bar with canned seltzers, wine and cocktails. The food menu will be similar to other Brass Tap locations with such items as nachos, chicken wings, loaded fries and tots, sandwiches, pizza and burgers.
Credit: Courtesy of Brass Tap Beer Bar
Credit: Courtesy of Brass Tap Beer Bar
Opening a restaurant as 20-something may seem intimidating, but the Patel brothers said they’ve had plenty of support to get to this point. The brothers will take the lead operating the Brass Tap, but the rest of the family will assist them with the business “every step of the way,” Raj Patel said.
The confidence to manage their own restaurant and bar came from years spent pitching in on every level of a business, from cleaning bathrooms to bookkeeping.
“You have the knowledge and capability to do the most menial tasks in the business to one of the most complex,” Meghl Patel said.
They plan to use a hands-on approach with the Brass Tap to make it feel like a family operation. A normal workday for them might mean stopping by one of the gas stations in the morning before heading over to the Brass Tap, then checking on another business before going home.
While the brothers have had experience with food and beverage in the context of running a hotel bar or a gas station food program, this will be their first exclusive food and beverage concept. The Brass Tap franchise, which has over 40 locations in 14 states, appealed to them because of its family-friendly environment and plentiful food and drink options. While in college, both brothers also noticed the growing popularity of Georgia’s craft beer scene.
According to the Brewers Association, a trade group for small and independent craft brewers, Georgia ranked 18th in the country with 181 craft breweries in 2023, more than doubling from 2018.
“(The Brass Tap) became a brand that started inviting not just craft beer enthusiasts, but everybody,” Raj Patel said. “It was almost like a no-brainer.”
The 3,700-square-foot eatery has an indoor and outdoor bar, a kid- and dog-friendly patio that seats 40 and indoor seating for 140. The dining room offers a mixture of communal and high-top seating with one section of couches.
Meghl Patel envisions Brass Tap as “a neighborhood watering hole.” Trivia nights and live music are also in the works, he said.
This will be the Brass Tap’s second Georgia location. The other unit is in Hapeville. Brass Tap locations in Dunwoody and Milton closed about a month ago, according to a Brass Tap spokesperson. But the brothers hope to open several more franchises in the coming years.
The Brass Tap in Marietta will be open 11 a.m.-midnight Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
1420 Terrell Mill Road SE, Marietta. 813-226-2333, brasstapbeerbar.com/Marietta
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