About Us
Gnat’s Landing was originally founded on Saint Simons Island, GA by Robert “Boz” Bostock. Over the years, Boz has had the privilege of working in a number of diverse and creative fields, but his desire to open his own bar and grill restaurant always ate at him (pun intended). During his most previous job as a toy store owner, he spent many years traveling across the country. He made the best use of his time visiting restaurants and taking notes of his travels. After adding those lessons to his vault of ideas and family recipes, all he needed was a place. He had his eye on a location in Red Fern Village and once it became available, the rest as they say...
Boz’s dream became reality in 1999. The goal was to create a place for beach goers to relax in a "Flip-Flop Friendly" environment and enjoy some good ole' American fare. His menu of daily specials, fresh seafood, salads, sandwiches, fried pickles…not to mention the $8,000 Margarita were beyond "Beach Casual". However, there was one problem with his plan... not everyone lived on or visited the Georgia Coast!
Brother-In-Laws, Andy "Oz" Osborne and Rob "Jersey" Burch, got to know Boz over the past few years and debated the world crisis of not providing this type of atmosphere to the population at large. With all the stress in the world, there needed to be a place where people could come and enjoy great food and service. More importantly, people needed to get back to enjoying life and not taking things too seriously.
After much deliberation, Boz agreed to the idea of spreading the Gnat’s gospel to the masses. But where do they start – The Garden State of New Jersey, perhaps the shores off the City of Brotherly Love. What about the landlocked state of Missouri or the neighboring Brunswick, GA? Wasaga Beach, Canada would also be a great destination. Atlanta, maybe too much traffic??? With so many choices, a decision had to be made. Luckily after a few $8,000’s, followed by a lot of darts thrown at a map, a destination was agreed upon. Athens, GA was the spot to plant the first palm tree. The annual summer migration of Athenians to the St. Simons Coast, along with "The World’s Biggest Cocktail Party" (GA/FL Game) made it a perfect choice. However, to make it work, Athens now had to be designated as GNAT-hens, (we are still working with the mayor on this issue).
So... if you aren’t afraid of having a good time, come on by and give us a try. But remember... If you like home cookin' - stay home. And always, free beer tomorrow. Hope to see you soon.
