The original building was constructed in 1976 as the Liquor Mart. It was purchased by Ted Shackelford in 1982. Ted was such a big part of The Apple that our logo reads “Apple Lounge & Grill Established by Ted 1982”.  Ted worked at the Liquor Mart in the 70s and early 80s. When he bought the business in 1982, he changed the name from Liquor Mart to Apple Lounge. Why Apple? Was it a nickname or a nod to a favorite cocktail? None of the above, actually. This was pre-Google, pre-Yelp, during the days of Yellow Pages. Whenever someone thumbed the Yellow Pages looking for a nightclub or bar in Winter Haven, Ted wanted Apple to be first.  Ted went on to run the Apple until his retirement in 2013.

In 2007 the lounge had a devastating fire. Flames ravaged the building.  At the moment, it was the absolute worst thing. How would The Apple ever recover?  After 7 months of reconstruction, The Apple was resurrected into a more spacious and comfortable atmosphere.  Upon reopening we were dubbed ‘the newest old bar around’.

What, at the time, seemed like a potentially breaking moment in the bar’s history, actually allowed us to rebuild and upgrade – something we continue to do. It is our commitment to have the cleanest, nicest and safest bar around. We want to maintain our quality of service, our product, our environment – everything from top to bottom.