Billy’s Tap Room & Grill began as The Tea Room on the property of the beautiful Ormond Beach
Hotel in 1922. The hotel owners asked Billy MacDonald, the lounge manager at the Astor and
Plaza Hotels in New York City, to move to Ormond Beach to manage The Tea Room. In 1926, Billy
purchased the building at 58 East Granada Boulevard, which many believe operated as a drug
store. There, he transformed The Tea Room into Billy’s Tap Room & Grill. The MacDonalds lived
in the upstairs room, which today is affectionately named “The MacDonald Room.” In 1939 the
family purchased a neighboring home for $3,900, which is currently home to the Ormond Beach
Historical Trust.
