Business Profile: Shamrock's Ale House

When Tampa resident Eric Tremmel was going to business school in Ohio, he did what every college kid has done to get themselves through school: He got a job. Tremmel worked as a bartender in a restaurant, and then graduated with his degree in business management. According to Tremmel, he held almost every job imaginable in a restaurant, including one as a cook.

“My family kept telling me that I needed to find a job where I can put my degree to use,” Trimmel said. 

Years later, he got the chance to do it when he, Chris Fedorcek, Bill Neylan and Chris Neylan got together and decided to open up their own restaurant.

“Everyone always imagines owning their own sports bar or restaurant,” he said. “I had always been working for someone else, and I just wanted to do it myself one day.”

As fathers, the group envisioned a restaurant that catered both to sports fans and families. That’s why they created Shamrock’s Ale House , a restaurant and pub that opened in March 2010.

The restaurant, located at 7805 Temple Terrace Parkway in Temple Terrace, offers patrons extensive options. The menu features traditional Irish entrees such as Sheppard’s pie, bangers and mash, a recently added Irish Stew that features a Guinness glaze. There is also traditional sports restaurant food like burgers, chicken tenders, and the Philly cheese steak. According to Tremmel, he highly recommends the fish and chips.

“They are hands down the best in the area,” he said. According to the menu, the cod pieces are so large that “they almost don’t fit in the basket that they are served in.”

Tremmel says that the menu changes every quarter and is suggestion driven. 

“If something on our menu is not selling well or is just not popular with our customers, we will take it off and put something else on there,” he said. “We always listen to our customers feedback.”

Not only does Shamrock’s Ale House offer a wide variety of food items, it also offers the MLB and NFL television packages and shows the games on its 18 flat-screen TVs.

“There is everything you need here,” Tremmel said. “Our prices are right, we offer a lot of specials, and if you are looking to watch sports, we are the place.”

The specials that Tremmel mentioned are offered throughout the week. Sundays and Mondays are “buy one burger, get one free days” (with the purchase of two drinks). Tuesdays are “Taco Tuesdays,” as the taco platter is offered for only $6.99. Wednesdays are 50-cent wings days. On Thursdays, the pasta and sausage platter is $6.99. On Fridays, the BBQ pulled pork sandwich is $6.99. On Saturdays, kids eat free from 5 to 9 p.m. and the “Rays footlong” hot dog and fries is $5.99.

There is also a wide range of events that go on at Shamrock’s every week.

On Thursdays, the restaurant hosts team trivia at 8:30 p.m. (the top two winners get gift cards to the restaurant). There is live music on Friday nights from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Karaoke fills up the restaurant on Saturdays from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Shamrock’s also offers two-for-one, all day every day specials on well drinks, domestics, and house wine. The restaurant offers a variety of beers on tap, including its own signature drink, the Shamrock’s Red. It’s an amber-tasting ale, similar to Killian’s Irish Red.

“Most places have a happy hour that lasts until a specific time,” Tremmel said. “We offer it every day, and it really helps our customers out because everyone is looking for a discount nowadays.”

Although the restaurant has only been open since March 2010, Tremmel said he believes it has established itself in the community, mainly by remaining involved with local happenings, including local neighborhood watch parties. Tremmel and other employees have given out wings to the while the officers are conducting nightly checkpoints. 

Shamrock’s Ale House sponsors Temple Terrace softball, baseball and soccer teams. If their teams win, they display a banner or trophy in the restaurant.

“We really like going out into the community and personally meeting everyone in it while offering them a sample of the kind of food we offer,” Tremmel said. “At the events, we offer buy one get one free coupons, and we help the community while getting the word out about our restaurant.”

No matter what you are looking for, Shamrock's Ale House is likely to have it, Tremmel said.

“Regardless if someone wants to come enjoy a beer with their friends or just come to dinner with their family and watch the game, they can do that here,” he said. “There is a little something for everyone here.”