Bill McGinnes The Gulf’s very own Papa Rocco You would think that – for a local restaurant - “Warm Beer and Lousy Pizza” sounds like harsh criticism from an unhappy customer. Not in the case of Papa Rocco’s – Gulf Shores’ landmark for over a quartercentury. The slogan for the restaurant is a tongue-in-cheek homage fitting of the character and ownership of the bar/ restaurant. Owned and operated for the past 30 years by William “Papa” McGinnes, Papa Rocco’s is a welcoming establishment where on any given night – you may find locals in shorts and flip-flops, a wedding party dressed to the “nines” and every type of clientele in-between. You may even find “Papa” himself singing a tune with one of the local bands or join with his wife Rose in leading the crowd in a drinking toast a time or two over the course of an evening. “Satisfying and meeting new people” is the part of his job he enjoys most, and his short-term goal is very simple: “Stay alive and keep enhancing the business.” Originally drawn to the Gulf Coast by “the area and its opportunities”, McGinnes has steadily built the “Papa Rocco’s” brand over three decades of change. “I’ve always had a passion for it,” he says. McGinnes also boast a passion for Corvettes and admits that staying on top of a thriving business that operates seven days a week – and late into the night – leaves little time for anything else. “I don’t have any hobbies,” claims “Papa” – “Working is my hobby.”
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