BIZZ BUZZ By Alaina Loughridge - Photo by Wen McNally Spanky’s Spanky’s has been around so long that all the old school Tybee folks have a tale to tell about when Spanky’s was located at where Marlin’s is now or at the current location on Strand Avenue. Spanky’s has a long history of good times and good people! One of the reasons Spanky’s Beachside is still around after such a long history is because of John Yarbrough. All the Spanky’s sprinkled around the area belong to a rather convoluted family tree. I won’t get into it detail, but here is the jist: Born in Thomaston, Georgia, the Yarbrough family moved to Tybee in 1975. John graduated from BC before heading to Georgia Southern. Still trying to figure out what to be when he grew up, he decided that school just wasn’t going to work out for him and came back to Savannah. Getting into the family business seemed like a good idea while trying to figure out what to do. John had been working for the family biz since the seventh grade as a dishwasher, then graduating up the ladder to bus boy and server. He started bartending at the Pooler location and history went from there. In 1994, Uncle Alban approached him about buying out the Spanky’s Beachside location. John jumped at the opportunity and hit the ground running. As we all know, Tybee is different from any other normal location and things run differently here. John learned quickly and with his background in … oh, everything, it was a smooth transition. 4 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | MAY 2017 He has done everything from dishwashing, bussing tables, waiting tables, bartending, cooking, plumbing, electrical, and everything else in between. In 2004, Brooke, the love of his life, walked into Spanky’s and life became complete. With three kids - Ashley, now 20, Sophie 10, and Evan, eight, life is good. John is very family oriented and you can see it in his staff. Steve has been there literally forever, Chrissy, Jeremy and Andrew have stood the test of time for over 15 years and Josh in the kitchen has been family for over 10. That dedication is hard to find in anyone these days. John is very appreciative of the locals and shows his support for us in turn. That is how Tybee works. He started when ‘season’ was literally St. Patrick’s Day, then Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend. That makes for a lot of Ramen Noodles for supper in the winter (or in his case chicken fingers). We all help each other and Spanky’s ideals are Tybee born and bred. So are the Yarbroughs. In the meantime, John is going to keep on slinging good drinks and good food! Spanky’s is located at 1605 Strand Ave. They are open Sunday-Thursday, 11am-10pm and Friday and Saturday, 11am-11pm. On a personal note, have I mentioned that they have the best ranch sauce ever?
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