McKenna's Place: Florida

It's one of those places made to look like a seafood shack only the food is fantastic.

With three locations in New Smyrna Beach, Greenacres, and West Palm Beach/Springs, FL, McKenna's Place is seafood, sports, and spirits in a fun, festive atmosphere.

I found out about the restaurant two years ago when my sister, who also lives in Florida saw an ad for it when she and her girlfriend were in New Smyrna Beach one weekend. Her girlfriend helped her find the place since my birth daughter's name is McKenna. They sell t-shirts there, too and they even had one in my color (blue) so my sister bought me one and sent it to me as a surprise. I, in turn, bought two for McKenna's adoptive parents and they loved them.

"Maybe you can wear it next time you see McKenna," my sister suggested at the time - and I did. "I wanted to surprise you."

Jon, McKenna's biological father, thought the place was cool, too. He wrote the webmaster, called, and was able to find out how to get the shirts for the adoptive parents. Turns out only employees wear them and they had recently changed uniforms but we were able to get the shirts anyway and mailed the business owner the money.

Owned by Chris and Michelle McKenna, McKenna's Place holds fundraisers from time to time, also where they raise a lot of money. (Source:mymckennasplace.com).

The Greenacres location is at 4636 Jog Road between Pine Avenue and Melaleuca Lane and the phone number is 561-964-0900. This particular locale has been praised by the local paper for fast service and great desserts.

New Smyrna's restaurant is located at 1443 S. Dixie Highway (386-676-3145) and the West Palm Springs facility can be found at 4068 Forest Hill Boulevard with the cross street of Sandra Lane. The contact number is 561-968-0032. The latter restaurant location, which also has a raw bar, accepts requests for deals instead of coupons. Hours are Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m. to midnight, Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-1 a.m., and Sun., noon to 10 p.m.

Last month, McKenna's Place in New Smyrna Beach was one of the numerous companies participating in a community rescue toy project after a burst pipe incident over the holidays. (Source: Orlando Sentinel). The New Smyrna Harbor Club helped medical academy students from New Smyrna Beach High School collect toys and clothes for 25 needy families in Volusia County. But two days before the toys were to be delivered a water pipe burst damaging the storage unit where all the items were being stored. So a long list of companies - among them, McKenna's Place - stepped in to replace what was lost.

McKenna is a popular Irish name and there was a famous actress named Siobhan McKenna who died in 1986, according to irelandseye.com. The meaning of the name translates to mean "my honey, my sweet one." The first name of McKenna is also listed in the top 1,000 exclusively as a girls' name, states nameplayground.com.

In Florida, where McKenna's Place is listed, there are 547 listings for the last name of McKenna. (Source: Whitepages.com).