HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY FANNIE’S ON THE BEACH! he year was 1992. Sitting in her car in the parking lot off Strand Avenue, Jenny Orr was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. At 30 years old, she had just left her corporate job and had two prospects in other states that were beckoning. What to do? She did not want to go back to mainstream corporate blah. There had to be something else. There was a breeze blowing and the sun was shining as she sat and contemplated this dilemma. All she did was look up and the answer was right in front of her: Bill’s Grill, originally opened circa 1958, now closed, sat forlorn and desolate…and beckoning. The idea was born and Jenny’s fire was lit! Back then Tybee had about a 3 month season - Memorial Day to Labor Day - and during the off-season it was a ghost town. Jenny purchased the building on Friday, June 19th and opened on Saturday, June 20th. With the help of Smokey at Kem Dist, Coca Cola and Sam’s Club, they got enough product in on Friday to open for the weekend! Jenny said, “I had my mom, my brothers, my good friend Wendy, and my staff of professionals - 2 teenagers, JT Schroeder and Demetrius Simon.” After two bottles of Chardonnay, the name Fannie’s was born. Jenny spent 8 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JUNE 2017 half of the money she had left on a main sign. A great Tybee artist and her good friend, Kitty Strozier, designed the Logo. Hand written menus were the order of the day…The Tybee Way! As Jenny recalls, “That was a fun 45 days!! Then school returned and business DIED! I mean dead. You could literally count the cars coming to Tybee during the week. It was sooo slooow that many days we would walk down to the beach and surf fish until we saw or heard cars. Then we would have to run up the stairs to the sea wall and across the parking lot to cook 2 hamburgers and pour a few beers.” Her buddy, Leonard Guyer, would take a break from his hard work at Cobb’s Hotel, and spent many a day keeping the Fannie’s staff company while they were waiting for customers. He told Jenny so much about the history of Tybee and the characters who lived here. Eventually this turned into the Fannie’s “Bored Meeting.” The original “Bored Members” were John and Judy O’Neil, Chicago Bob, Trolley Joe, Michael Elliot and QUEEN ROMA. Around this time the old Desoto Hotel and Shipwreck Lounge was torn down and the new Desoto Beach Hotel was being built. “We inherited Queen Roma and she was our matriarch until her passing. She brought her strong opinions and lots of laughs daily for many years. She is still present at our Bored Meetings I am sure. We sure do miss the Queen,” says Jenny. T By Alaina Loughridge
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