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The Red Bar
Re-Opens in Grayton Beach

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BY MARTIN LIPTROT | 3 MIN READ
Grayton Beach is a ‘BO-HO’ hot-spot nestled on the sugar-white sands of Northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast and has become a favorite vacation spot for celebrities, musicians and ‘those in the know’ from Dallas to Nashville, Atlanta and New Orleans.
Grayton Beach’s allure is its laid-back lifestyle and a big part of this is The Red Bar, a classic beach restaurant housed in a former general store on a town center sand lot.

ABOVE PHOTO: Artist Bryan Hand with the newly completed iconic Ganesha mural painting that adorns the Red Bar’s front door.

Oliver Petit, Red Bar’s owner and chef, is a big man with a big personality to match. Born in Liege, Belgium, 6-foot 5 inch Petit first came briefly to America with his family in the ‘70s, before making a permanent move to Northwest Florida.
“My father was a maître d’ by profession and got the opportunity to work in Little Rock, Arkansas. I came to Florida in the Summer of 1990 — as an experience, a Summer adventure — and I never left. Now my father and brothers are here too.”
As a 20-something, Petit was drawn to the Northwest Florida lifestyle “a mix of Ol’ Southern civility and classic coastal ‘fun and sun’” and picked up a number of bar and restaurant jobs to establish himself in the area’s tight-knit hospitality industry.
Red Bar Owners, Oli and Philippe Petit… with father Louis, Sr. watching carefully over their shoulders.

“But it was a chance meeting with a fellow francophone that set the course for Petit’s journey to owning and operating The Red Bar.”

Oliver Petit, Red Bar’s owner and chef, is a big man with a big personality to match. Born in Liege, Belgium, 6-foot 5 inch Petit first came briefly to America with his family in the ‘70s, before making a permanent move to Northwest Florida.
“My father was a maître d’ by profession and got the opportunity to work in Little Rock, Arkansas. I came to Florida in the Summer of 1990 — as an experience, a Summer adventure — and I never left. Now my father and brothers are here too.”
As a 20-something, Petit was drawn to the Northwest Florida lifestyle “a mix of Ol’ Southern civility and classic coastal ‘fun and sun’” and picked up a number of bar and restaurant jobs to establish himself in the area’s tight-knit hospitality industry.

“But then came February 13, 2019. “I was in bed. It was 5:30 a.m. and I get a call from one of my neighbors here to tell me the restaurant is on fire.”

Oliver Petit, Red Bar’s owner and chef, is a big man with a big personality to match. Born in Liege, Belgium, 6-foot 5 inch Petit first came briefly to America with his family in the ‘70s, before making a permanent move to Northwest Florida.
“My father was a maître d’ by profession and got the opportunity to work in Little Rock, Arkansas. I came to Florida in the Summer of 1990 — as an experience, a Summer adventure — and I never left. Now my father and brothers are here too.”
As a 20-something, Petit was drawn to the Northwest Florida lifestyle “a mix of Ol’ Southern civility and classic coastal ‘fun and sun’” and picked up a number of bar and restaurant jobs to establish himself in the area’s tight-knit hospitality industry.
Oliver Petit, Red Bar’s owner and chef, is a big man with a big personality to match. Born in Liege, Belgium, 6-foot 5 inch Petit first came briefly to America with his family in the ‘70s, before making a permanent move to Northwest Florida.
“My father was a maître d’ by profession and got the opportunity to work in Little Rock, Arkansas. I came to Florida in the Summer of 1990 — as an experience, a Summer adventure — and I never left. Now my father and brothers are here too.”
Martin Liptrot is British but has lived along 30A since 2004. After a global career in advertising, he has now made NorthWest Florida his home and runs local PR and Marketing Agency www.98RepublicPR.com. Martin’s passions include Soccer, Cricket, Rugby, Formula One, and Horse Racing. He is a fan of craft beers and fine wines and enjoys good company and long lazy lunches in any of the spectacular restaurants on 30A.

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