The Barn opened for dinner New Year’s Eve 1954. The Escorts, an important social club back in the day, had their holiday party at Bennie’s that night. To this day, they still rent out the restaurant each winter for their annual supper party. Alvin Davis, a local icon came from the old Frederica Yacht Club with Bennie.  Bennie, known as Papa, his wife Granny Lou and Alvin have since passed away. Their daughter Diana and their son Don & his wife Denese also ran the restaurant for years.  In 2025, the 3rd generation (Bennie's granddaughter) Alice & her husband Chris Paolini own & operate the business. 

In the winter, there will be a roaring fire in the giant fireplace. Many couples have become engaged in front of the fireplace and return each year for anniversaries. At Christmas, there is a huge tree in the middle of the dining room and Santa Clause visits with guests on Christmas Eve. For more than 70 years, locals and visitors have celebrated special family gatherings at Bennie’s Red Barn. “The Club” area in the lean-to and the Treebar porch are unique settings for weddings, rehearsal dinners and other special events.  Bennie's is also a popular venue for local fundraising events for non-profits organizations.

Back in the day, Bennie required coat & tie attire. Today, things are a bit more casual but the family & staff try to keep many of the old time traditions alive. For instance, the house salad is still marinated in a garlic, vinegar & olive oil dressing and is intended to be served somewhat wilted. A few of the experienced servers will still greet you in their coat and tie and recite the evening’s menu tableside. Many of the other team members have been dedicated to giving fine southern hospitality for more than 25 years! To top off your visit to Bennie’s, you may want to try the world famous, vintage “Raccoon”. This after dinner treat was created especially for a group of local businessmen who have met at the same table, (also named after them) at the same time every week for a few generations.

Bennie’s Red Barn is the oldest, privately owned restaurant on St. Simons Island. Bennie & Louise Gentile built the barn to be a restaurant. When Bennie was in the war in Germany, he took cover in an old barn. It is said the interior of that barn, was his inspiration for building this restaurant. The wood in the main structure was cut & milled on St. Simons Island. The large driveway posts were recovered from the original wooden causeways over to the island. Many of the bricks were repurposed from old warehouses in middle Georgia. You may even find yourself sitting in a chair from the grand dining room of the historical Oglethorpe Hotel.