“You never know what’s going to come out of his mouth when his Irish eyes start smiling,” said one customer.
This month marks 50 years of service for bartender John Doyle at McGillin's Olde Ale House, and the bar is throwing a year-long celebration in his honor.bar regularly on Friday nights in the early ‘70s, when his wife would go to her mother’s house to do laundry.Doyle was so stoic and observant that the staff thought he was a cop. So one night when the doorman had to use the bathroom, he asked Doyle to watch the door and he did. Kind of.
“John is a beloved institution. He’s met a lot of people and he hasn’t pissed off more than he’s pleased,” Mullins said. “He is the party, but he’s also a professional. You’ll never hear anybody say, ‘In the 80s I remember him falling down drunk behind the bar.’” After graduating from Bishop Neumann in 1963, Doyle went to work at Carr Tool and Machine in West Philly, until he was called up for the draft the following year. He spent 10 months serving as a medic in South Korea, near the demilitarized zone.
“She had the best ass in Margate. I swear!” he said, rolling back in his chair. “We came out of a bar and we’re walking to Maloney’s and my wife was in front of me. She had these white jeans on, and I said, ‘Man, that’s one great ass!’ and she goes ‘Thank you.’” But that all changed in 1993, when Mary Ellen and Chris Mullins Sr. took over McGillin’s and did a total “flip in one year,” overhauling the menu and keeping the bar open until 2 a.m., Doyle said.Along with working for three generations of owners, Doyle’s run at McGillin’s has spanned eight Philly mayors, two of whom he met .
“He’s part of the fabric of the place, if someone doesn’t know him they’ll know him by the time they leave,” Lenihan said. “He’s so personable, he walks up to everybody and says hello.”
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