Fudpucker's

Fudpucker’s is a restaurant and tourist attraction on the gulf coast of Florida. Originally founded by Chester G. Kroeger, Fudpucker's has been owned and operated locally since 1982 and includes two locations--one in Fort Walton Beach and one in Destin, Florida.

History and Overview

According to the website, the first or "original" Fudpucker's was located in the back of a Destin nightclub. Due to conflicts with the owner of the nightclub, Fudpucker's moved to a beach front location east of Destin. In 1986, after not being able to renew its lease of the beachfront location, the business moved once again to its first year-round operation located on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach [http://www.fudpucker.com/ftwalton.htm] . In 1989, three years later, Fudpucker's returned to Destin and opened it current Destin location across from the Henderson Beach State Park. Both locations continue to draw large crowds, offering lunch and dinner, live entertainment in an outdoor venue, and "world famous" t-shirts. In August of 1989, Fudpucker’s introduced the first annual “Fudpucker 4-player Beach Volleyball Tournament,” a four-person formatted amateur event played over the course of a weekend on the Gulf front beaches of Destin. This tournament expanded to being a week long event held in the spring as well as the fall. [http://www.emeraldcoastvolleyballweek.com] . In 2002, the Destin Fudpucker location launched a live alligator exhibit named “Gator Beach” [http://www.gatorbeach.com/] in which visitors can learn about these ancient reptiles.

Fudpucker's interior decor, covered inside with wall-to-wall graffiti, stands apart from more formal restaurants. As Frommer's notes,

The decor is funky, with antique beer cans, mirrors, and what they call "Fud Junk." ...Eight different dining rooms, a playground, and game rooms are nothing compared to Fudpucker's Gator Beach, the restaurant's very own alligator collection, located in the pond underneath the building. [http://www.frommers.com/destinations/destinandfortwaltonbeach/D56126.html]

Fudpucker's primary icon is a large, goofy pelican; A secondary icon is an inebriated fish; The slogan is “Ya ain’t been pucked till ya been fudpucked.” Both appear frequently on the line of T-shirts and other merchandise.

Gator Beach

Developed in May 2002, "Gator Beach" is a free alligator exhibit outside of Fudpucker's that boasts 10-12 alligators, which live in the pond in front of the main building. The restaurant offers children and adults the opportunity to purchase food to feed the alligators, and according to the website, a portion of the proceeds are then donated to the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge [http://www.fudpuckers.com/gatorbeach.htm] . In the Winter of 2003/2004, Fudpucker's began and completed renovation on an additional educational exhibit designed to educate the public about alligators [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator] .