Welcome to Front & Center, a series highlighting front of the house professionals in Atlanta restaurants. Right now, journalist and Atlanta Tastemaker Magazine lifestyle editor Andrea Janise writes about Robert Merrick, the beer aficionado at Cypress Street Pint & Plate:
There is no doubt about it, Beer Expert and Front of House guru, Robert Merrick wants to make sure that you are having a good time when you visit his popular pub, Cypress Street Pint & Plate, located on the corner of 6th Street and Cypress in Midtown Atlanta. This neighborhood restaurant is home to one of the best patios in town, making it the ideal spot to sip a glass of delicious craft beer and pair it with delectable modern pub fare crafted by Chef Fran Rotella. When you're there, it's no doubt that you'll see Rob somewhere seating guests, behind the bar, delivering food to tables, or chatting it up with guests and bringing a high energy vibe to the restaurant.
Another thing that Mr. Merrick does well is pick a good rotating craft beer list; so much so, that Cypress Street is home to "Beer Geek Tuesdays"— a weekly gathering of Atlanta's serious craft beer drinkers and highlighted breweries where you are likely to run into local beer guys, like beer blogger and TV show host, Ale Sharpton and Beer Street Journals' Reid Ramsey. It's because of the passion of Cypress Street's owners and Robert Merrick's fondness for the suds that helped carve out a fun and unique space in the city to celebrate craft beer.
Whether he's in jeans and a T-shirt or in full character on special themed nights (Rob once donned a full clown suit for their Clown Shoes Brewery Carnival Night paying homage to the Massachusetts brewery), this high-spirit knows how to work a crowd, making him one of the coolest and one of my personal favorites in Front of House.
—Andrea Janise, @ATLFoodWriter
Is there an outstanding server, host, or other FOH sensation the city should know about? Drop a line to atlanta@eater.com.
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