March 2014
| Business World Magazine | 65
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Long before these brands captured the fla-
vors savored by consumers, they were con-
cepts compelled to life through the efforts
and imaginations of two independent en-
trepreneurs. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s was the brain-
child of the late Jim Mellody, a Pennsylva-
nia-native who moved to Southwest Florida
in 1971 and experimented with several res-
taurant concepts in the years that followed.
By 1985, he elected to establish a place that
played-up a sports-infused Irish pub theme
and Beef ‘O’ Brady’s was born. The “Brady”
derived from the maiden name of Mellody’s
mother. No doubt, Mellody was thinking of
his mother by setting firm rules that would
allow for the restaurant to resonate with
families; mandates to keep it clean (literal-
ly and figuratively) with no pool tables nor
serving of hard liquor to potentially sully the
setting. In Brandon, Florida, the restaurant
proved so popular with local appetites and
sports aficionados alike, Mellody was soon
opening other locations. By 1998, Mellody
sold most of his interests in the company to
Tampa-based FSC, and within two years,
James Walker
