Our History
Made for The Community
A staple of local culture, Indian Pass Raw Bar has been serving the Indian Pass community and surrounding areas since 1903 when the McNeill family first began a turpentine enterprise in the area. James McNeill Sr. was a pioneer of his time, homesteading and building his business in the little traveled or tamed wilderness that was the turn of the century North Florida. After a rapid expansion of his business, he opened a commissary and company store to serve the turpentine business’s multiple employees and their families; and when the highway was complete in 1929, the store moved to its present location to take advantage of new passing traffic as well.
In the 1930s, the store added gas pumps to accommodate travelers on the new highway, and James’ wife, Gypsie opened up a tearoom on the right side of the building serving tea and sandwiches. By the time James and Gypsie’s son James McNeill Jr., aka “Jimmie”, came of age and took his place as the head of the family business, it sold everything from gasoline to soft-serve ice cream. Jimmie’s wife Betty was once quoted, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it”!
The Birth of The Raw Bar
When Jimmie came home from the war in 1947 the family turpentine business had largely lost its relevance and Jimmie began working at a local oyster shucking house. Jimmie was a brilliant businessman and with time he would evolve from working in the shucking house to growing his own seafood business, The Indian Pass Seafood Company, with over 100 acres of oyster leases and multiple shucking houses. Jimmie would sell oysters from Apalachicola to New York City and incorporated the company in 1982.
In 1985, Hurricane Kate struck a devastating blow to the area devastating the family oyster leases and filling the store with water. The Indian Pass Seafood company was stuck with a huge inventory of seafood and multiple coolers severely damaged or unworking. In a last-ditch effort and stroke of genius, Jimmie’s son, Jimmie Mac proposed cooking off the seafood and selling it by the pound. Locals loved it and soon the demand for this tasty by-the-pound seafood grew, and thus the modern Indian Pass Raw Bar concept was born.
The Legacy of Jimmie Mac
Jimmie Mac was a gregarious man with a knack and passion for entertaining. His jovial spirit and love for live music transformed what was once a roadside store into a bustling restaurant and tourist attraction. His “what happens on the porch stays on the porch” attitude kept generations of locals and tourists alike returning year after year, and under his supervision, the restaurant grew in popularity more than anyone could have expected. Soon the restaurant would be featured in countless food television programs as well as articles by the NY Times, Forbes, Southern Living, and more. Celebrities from Johnny Cash to Ted Nugent graced the doors and songwriting legends wrote songs of Jimmie Mac and this little piece of paradise he created. Sadly, in March of 2020, Jimmie Mac passed. They say, “Legends never die” and so his legacy lives on, particularly through his children Jennifer, Meredith, Katie Mac, and Austin who now operate the family restaurant.
When Jimmie Mac passed, the restaurant was closed for remodeling after CAT 5 Hurricane Michael once again flooded the building with water. In the summer of 2020, the McNeill children reopened the doors again with a spectacular new addition of a stage and courtyard dedicated to Jimmie Mac. His children have maintained the Raw Bar’s rustic, no-frills charm, delicious food, and old-school serve-yourself system while adding improvements to modernize and keep with the paces of an ever-changing world. The McNeills hope to honor their rich coastal history and family legacy by continuing to serve you and your families, just as we have for nearly 100 years.