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If you had to name a master of the city's neighborhood bar scene, Tracy Crowley likely would rise to the top of the list. More than 20 years ago he began overseeing operations at Virginia-Highland landmark Moe's & Joe's. Today he owns 10 local gin mills, including 97 Estoria, Standard, Flatiron and Universal Joint. And he's also acquired other enduring faves such as Irish pub mainstay Limerick Junction and blues depot Blind Willie's.

Becky Stein/SPECIAL (ENLARGE)
Tracy Crowley started at Moe's & Joe's.
Frank Niemeir/AJC (ENLARGE)
The late Horace McKennie was an icon at Moe's & Joe's
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Q: If you had to pick a favorite, which bar would it be?

A: Sentimentally, it has to be Moe's & Joe's, because that's where I started.

Q: Longtime Moe's & Joe's server Horace McKennie, who died in 2004, was a local icon. What did you learn from him?

A: I had studied hotel and restaurant management in college. I was 24 when I came in to run the place [and I was] dealing with a gentleman who had been here 35 years at that point. So obviously we were coming from two different generations. I thought of it as a neighborhood bar, where he thought of it as a very classy joint, thus him wearing the waiter's jackets, pressed white shirts and bow ties. He had different ideas that were interesting to see based on his generation. He didn't like public affection. If he saw a man and woman kissing, he'd say, "Mr. Tracy, they can't be doing that in here." Being a neighborhood bar, people would come in and play cards. And he'd say, "Mr. Tracy, you can't have people playing cards in here." So it was different. But he had a great work ethic. He worked six days a week, and eventually we cut him to five. He was always here, and he never missed a day unless he was really ill. The great attitude was always there, and he loved the business. I always thought of him as a saint to be able to tolerate waiting tables for more than 50 years before he retired. Eventually it wears on you. It never bothered him. He loved it. His attitude was one that you wish you could clone into today's servers.

Q: What do you think of the current Atlanta bar scene?

A: I've done well hitting neighborhoods that are redeveloping; that's kind of been my niche. We were the first in East Atlanta, Oakhurst, College Park and Cabbagetown. And we've done well in those locations. It's becoming difficult, because landlords are trying to make a living, too, and it's getting so expensive to operate. At the same point, you have the city that's becoming impossible to deal with. The last bar I built out took me 13 months to get permits. ... I'm personally feeling that Atlanta's starting to become a little overcrowded in the bar scene. The next move I've got is, I've already purchased some real estate in Asheville, N.C., and I'm going to move some bars up there. I'm going to keep the Atlanta bars, but I think I'm done with my expansions in Atlanta.

— Jon Waterhouse