Bedford County Post

36 —Summer Local Living May 2024 S erving since 1973, London’s Bar has been a mainstay in Tullahoma, where over the years it has been awarded several Tulla- homa’s Finest awards, including Finest Burger, Finest Wings, Finest Watering Hole, Finest Bar- tender and Finest Server. London’s is no stranger to the Finest Wings and Burger categories, as the downtown bar has been a frequent winner in both categories. The bar has consistently won Finest Burger over other local and chain restaurants. According toOwner JosephKeller, the differ- ence on the burgers is the equipment. “We do them on a flat grill,” he said. “I’ve got a really nice flat grill with a real thick plate, and we keep it nice and hot so you get that good sear. If you have a thinner griddle that doesn’t hold heat or loses heat quickly, you just don’t get the results. That helps keep the burger coming out the same way every time.” Keller added that in addition to the equip- ment in his kitchen, the talent behind the food and the quality of ingredients also makes a dif- ference in the food available at the bar. “We try to source the best products we can get. We try to get the very best buns we can buy, the best beef we can buy,” he said. “I’ve got a guy that I only buy tomatoes from. He brings me the best tomatoes that we’ve ever had. That’s all he deals in is tomatoes. So we try to find the best stuff that we can get.” His kitchen staff also brings many years of cooking expertise that helps bring in more cus- tomers each week. “We cook everything to order. We don’t pre- cook anything,” he said. “Every order of wings, every order of fries is individually dropped. We try to keep our cooking times a certain way; we try not to get over 15 or 20 minutes, so it’s the timing of getting everything out. The more expe- rienced people in the kitchen do it well, and I’ve got a lot of guys who have been here for many years, so it’s almost like muscle memory the way they are able to cook the food and send it out.” Even getting the food out of the kitchen is a matter of skill, Keller said, as he also employs a “dedicated food runner” that delivers the food from the kitchen to the table it’s meant for in short order. “We try to have a dedicated food runner so that nothing sits around or sits on the grill or on the plate. We hope to have it on the floor really quick, like a minute or so,” he said. Longtime patrons of the local watering hole will remember the “Burger of theMonth” special the kitchen ran years ago. While that practice is retired after the pandemic, Keller said many of those burgers ended up on the menu full-time. Most of those burgers were simply ideas created by his kitchen staff. “I’ve got a lot of guys in the kitchen that are creative,” he said. “They dream them up. Some go over reallywell; some don’t go over reallywell. We try to keep it creative and let the guys in the kitchen do some things that they think will be cool. A lot of times it works out.” The surprising thing about the success of the kitchen, Keller said, is just how successful it’s become. He started adding a food menu around 2010 or 2011 as an additional option for people looking to enjoy some snacks with their drinks. “I never dreamed that we would sell as much food as we sell,” he said. “I thought that we would put some burgers in and put some wings on and just be selling a little bit, but it’s turned into the num- ber one thing that we sell. As for the beverages customers enjoy with their food, Keller said being a small, independent bar allows him to purchase lesser- known liquors that his customers specifically ask for, whereas larger bars or chain places would not be afforded that opportunity. Some of the premium beverages Lon- don’s serves include Jack Daniels, George Dickel, Wheatley Vodka, Bacardi Silver Rum, Bacardi Black Rum, Bombay Gin, Jose Cuervo Silver Tequila, Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila, Evan Williams Whiskey, Four Roses Bourbon, Old Overholt Rye and Paddys Irish Whisky. “We try to buy all the different kinds of bour- bons that we can get our hands on,” he said. “We keep a premiumwell and try to keep at least like a hundred different brands of beer and cider on hand. We’ve got a crazy good selection of bour- bons. We even have the Pappy VanWinkles, the George T. Staggs, the Colonel Taylors—these are all bottles that are really unavailable at most places.” Being independent allows for Keller to go out and buy those “riskier” or harder to find items. Additionally, Keller said, he’s planning on vis- iting a few distilleries to do some barrel selects, which would see the business essentially pick their own barrels of products that only London’s would carry. London’s is located in downtown Tullahoma at 101 N. Wall St. Business hours for London’s are 11 – 1:30 a.m. Monday through Sunday. For more information, visit londonsbar.comor visit the London’s Facebookpage at facebook.com/london- ssportsbar. Tullahoma’s go-to downtown spot LONDON’S: