John O’Toole, owner of O’Toole’s Restaurant & Pub in Richmond and Midlothian
The 80-some family crests that hang in the two locations of O’Toole’s Restaurant & Pub are a constant reminder to John and Tom O’Toole of their Irish heritage.
In 1920, the O’Tooles’ paternal grandparents left their home in County Cork in the southwest corner of Ireland, a nation peppered with cozy small towns, islands and cosmopolitan areas. They came to America and made a home and a family in Pittsburgh.
One of the couple’s four children, Jim, moved to New York City for work. There he met the woman who became his wife, Marie, a Brooklyn-born lass whose lineage is half German and half Irish.
Among the many family crests adorning the walls at O’Toole’s
Living in the city provided the couple with a multitude of activities that often included visiting the neighborhood pub for lively conversation and tasty Irish beers. In 1959, when they came to Richmond for Jim’s job, they couldn’t find any neighborhood pubs that reminded them of those they frequented in New York.
“My dad decided to open up one in 1966, and it worked out pretty well,” John says. “O’Toole’s has always been in the same location at 4800 Forest Hill Ave.” He notes that the family later added a second restaurant in Midlothian, managed by his brother Tom.
When it originally opened, the Forest Hill restaurant and bar was called Gay 90’s and resembled an 1890s club featuring Dixieland bands. But after six years, Jim and Marie incorporated O’Toole’s, rebranding as a pub and serving mainly American food despite the Irish name.
The Richmond location of O’Toole’s at 4800 Forest Hill Ave.
John began working in the kitchen with his dad in 1977 and bought into the business in 1988. He started adding Irish food to the menu in the early 1990s, including some dishes still in regular rotation: fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and bangers and mash. “Our fish and chips is one of our bestsellers,” he says. “Our shepherd’s pie also sells well, as do our Irish beers — Guinness, Smithwick’s Red Ale and Harp Lager.”
Like the original Irish pubs, which date back to the 10th century, the O’Tooles wanted to offer a cozy, welcoming atmosphere along with some entertainment. “We have some Irish entertainers, jazz musicians and more. We try to mix it up,” John says.
At this time of year, however, O’Toole’s concentrates on honoring the family’s Irish roots by hosting a wake on March 16, followed by a genial St. Patrick’s Day celebration the next day.
“My dad started that tradition,” John says. “During Lent, Catholics don’t drink unless there is a wake. So, Dad started a wake so people could drink. We have bands, and everybody sings.”
On St. Patrick’s Day, the menu features Irish food, including Irish stew and corned beef and cabbage. “We wear green and have all Irish music all day long,” John says. “People line up to get in. We have a good time.”
Although he hasn’t been to County Cork, John has traveled to Dublin. “It was great,” he says. “The food was great, the music was great, and the people were friendly. It was really nice to see the country my family came from.”
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