In This Episode
- Tunes & Taps brings the spirit of the Dunwoody Beer Fest back to the Shops of Dunwoody on May 30, with live music, a $20 entry fee, and all proceeds going directly to Camp Twin Lakes
- Huw Thomas shares how he arrived in Dunwoody just before the 1996 Olympics, found a neighborhood with nowhere to grab a beer and a burger, and built what would become a five-location restaurant group
- Miguel Romero of Taqueria Los Hermanos talks about the partnership with Dunwoody Tavern that has made the Shops of Dunwoody feel like a genuine neighborhood destination
- Camp Twin Lakes serves 10,000 children and families each year across three campuses, and every child attends on a full scholarship funded by events exactly like this one
Huw Thomas and Miguel Romero of Taqueria Los Hermanos joined What’s Up Dunwoody podcast host Matt Weber to talk about one of the most exciting community events coming to Dunwoody, Georgia this spring. The Dunwoody Beer Fest ran for 11 years, drew thousands of people, and raised nearly a quarter million dollars for charity before going on hiatus. Now it’s back in a new form, and these two are leading the charge.
What Is Tunes & Taps?
On Saturday, May 30, the Shops of Dunwoody is hosting Tunes & Taps from 4 to 10pm. Live music, cold drinks, great food, and a cause worth showing up for.
Your $20 gets you in the door. That $20 goes directly to Camp Twin Lakes, a nonprofit providing year-round camp experiences for children facing serious illnesses, disabilities, and other life challenges. On top of that, 20% of all Dunwoody Tavern sales that day also go to Camp Twin Lakes. So every drink you buy is doing double duty.
The music lineup is strong. The Mike Veal Band kicks things off at 4pm. If you haven’t seen them, Mike Veal is one of those performers who has been a fixture in Atlanta for decades – blues, rock, and funk at a level that earns you the nickname “Atlanta’s favorite party band.” Born in Milledgeville and Macon, Georgia, he was influenced by Otis Redding, James Brown, and Gregg Allman and started performing professionally at 16. He recently played the Dunwoody High School Reunion, so locals already know what’s coming. At 7pm, the Basement Band takes the stage. They’re a rock, pop, and country cover band from right here in Dunwoody, and they’re on Spotify and Apple Music if you want a preview.
Beyond the music, there’s a raffle with three $1,000 Dunwoody Restaurant Group gift cards up for grabs. Stella Artois is bringing engraved chalice glasses. Guinness is running their ripple machine, which puts your face on top of the beer. There may even be a Battle of the Nachos between Dunwoody Tavern and Taqueria Los Hermanos – and if you’ve had nachos from either place, you know that competition is no joke.
The stage goes in the green turf area at the center of the Shops, and every tenant in the shopping center is welcome to set up in the surrounding space and showcase their food or products. It’s a full neighborhood block party, and it has been a long time coming.
What Ever Happened to the Dunwoody Beer Fest?
If you’ve lived in Dunwoody for more than a few years, you probably remember the Dunwoody Beer Fest. It ran for 11 years in the northeast parking lot of Perimeter Mall. The first year drew about 200 people. The final year drew close to 5,000.
“When we started out with the Dunwoody Beer Festival, the first year we had 200,” Huw said. “In the final one, 11 years later, we had 5,000 people.”
Over its run, the Dunwoody Beer Fest raised more than $248,000 for Camp Twin Lakes. It was one of those community events that kept growing because the cause was real and the execution was right. Discover Dunwoody has said that Tunes & Taps “has its roots in the original Dunwoody Beer Festival,” and that’s exactly the right framing. Different format, same spirit, same beneficiary.
The event went on hiatus about six years ago. The gap has been noticeable. Tunes & Taps is the answer.
This also isn’t the first time the Shops of Dunwoody has pulled off a live music event. Back in October, Francisco Vidal headlined a concert in the same green space – organized in part by Miguel Romero and Nida Mudd. That event, which What’s Up Dunwoody covered in Episode 307, was essentially the proof of concept. It worked. Now they’re building on it at a much larger scale.
How Did Huw Thomas Build 30 Years of Dunwoody Pub Culture?
Huw Thomas is the founder of Dunwoody Restaurant Group, the largest chain of pubs in Atlanta. He grew up in the restaurant business – his father had restaurants – and spent five years running a place in California before a visit to Dunwoody changed the trajectory.
“I moved to Dunwoody just before the Olympics, set up the Dunwoody Tavern and we were the only thing here,” Huw said. “I said, I can’t even get a beer and a burger here.”
That was 1996. He sold his California restaurant, moved to Dunwoody, Georgia, and opened Ye Olde Dunwoody Tavern at the Shops of Dunwoody. What started as the neighborhood’s only pub has grown into five active locations across metro Atlanta:
- Ye Olde Dunwoody Tavern – Shops of Dunwoody (established 1996)
- King George Tavern – Georgetown neighborhood, Dunwoody (established 2014)
- Ship & Anchor Pub – Sandy Springs (opened September 2004)
- Iron Horse Tavern – Historic Norcross
- Bat & Ball Pub – Brookhaven
Every location has been open for more than 20 years except King George, which is the newest at around 15. Iron Horse Tavern in Norcross is the second busiest location behind Dunwoody Tavern. That’s a detail worth sitting with – a pub in Norcross competing with the flagship in Dunwoody says everything about how Huw builds loyal regulars.
A big part of that loyalty comes down to the people behind the bar. Huw was direct about it on the podcast.
“Your bar is critical, your bartender is your guy,” he said. He has bartenders at Dunwoody Tavern who have been there longer than most restaurants in Dunwoody have existed. When you walk into one of his spots and see the same face year after year, that’s not a coincidence. That’s a philosophy.
COVID created an unexpected opportunity for that philosophy. When the city allowed restaurants to expand their outdoor spaces during the pandemic, both Dunwoody Tavern and Taqueria Los Hermanos built out their patios and parking lot areas. Those expansions stuck around. The outdoor spaces are part of what makes the Shops feel like a place to linger, not just a place to park and grab food.
Huw also mentioned something that doesn’t come up often enough: Dunwoody Restaurant Group has been sponsoring Camp Twin Lakes for 30 years. The camp has buildings named after the company because of the fundraisers they’ve done together. That’s a commitment that goes far beyond writing a check once a year.
“We’ve been sponsoring Camp Twin Lakes for 30 years,” Huw said. “We actually have a couple of buildings down there named after the company because of the fundraisers we’ve done.”
Thirty years of showing up. That’s the whole ballgame.
Where Does the Money Go? Inside Camp Twin Lakes
The $20 ticket price for Tunes & Taps isn’t just covering event overhead. Every dollar goes directly to Camp Twin Lakes, and it’s worth understanding what that organization actually does.
Camp Twin Lakes provides year-round camp experiences for children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and other life challenges. The nonprofit partners with more than 60 organizations, each serving a different population of children, to safely manage medical needs that include chemotherapy, dialysis, infusions, and special dietary requirements.
Three campuses. Roughly 10,000 children and their families served every year. Summer camp starts in just a few weeks, with nearly 4,000 children attending this summer alone.
The camps are fully accessible. Children who use wheelchairs can rock climb, ride horses, and do water sports alongside everyone else. The programs serve kids in foster care, kids who have experienced abuse, kids who are grieving the loss of a parent, and kids living in poverty. While the children are at camp, their families and caregivers get a week of rest.
Every child attends on a full scholarship. Events like the Dunwoody Beer Fest – and now Tunes & Taps – are how those scholarships get funded.
If you’ve ever wanted your $20 to actually matter, this is the event.
What Happens When a Pub Owner and a Taqueria Owner Team Up?
Miguel Romero opened Taqueria Los Hermanos at the Shops of Dunwoody on March 4, 2020. The timing was rough – the pandemic shut everything down weeks later. The Dunwoody community showed up for Los Hermanos during that period, and the restaurant has been an anchor at the Shops ever since.
The partnership between Los Hermanos and Dunwoody Tavern is one of those natural fits that makes the Shops feel like more than a collection of individual businesses. Huw described it simply: “Miguel takes care of the families and children. We take care of the adults and the men. So it’s a great partnership in the Shops of Dunwoody.”
Complementary menus, complementary crowds, shared outdoor space, shared commitment to the neighborhood. Add Vintage Pizzeria to the mix – whose Manager Michelle Germain was just voted Best Bartender in Dunwoody this year – and you’ve got three businesses that genuinely like each other operating out of the same shopping center.
Tunes & Taps is a natural extension of that dynamic. For people considering living in Dunwoody or moving to Dunwoody, this is the community in action. This is what it looks like when local business owners decide to keep investing in the place they built their careers.
For What’s Up Dunwoody host Matt Weber, this episode was personal. The Weber family has been fans of Los Hermanos going back before the restaurant came to Dunwoody. Watching it thrive and watching its owner step up for the neighborhood is exactly the kind of story this podcast exists to tell.
Call to Action
Tunes & Taps is Saturday, May 30 from 4 to 10pm at the Shops of Dunwoody. Tickets are $20 at the link below. Every dollar from ticket sales goes directly to Camp Twin Lakes.
Get your tickets on Eventbrite
Want to explore more of what Dunwoody Restaurant Group has built? Visit dunwoodyrestaurantgroup.com. And if you haven’t been to Taqueria Los Hermanos yet, you already know what to do.
What Is What’s Up Dunwoody?
What’s Up Dunwoody is a local media platform created by REALTOR® Matt Weber, focused on living in Dunwoody, moving to Dunwoody, and staying connected to the community. It began as a podcast and has grown into social media content, local guides, and two of the largest Dunwoody-focused Facebook groups where residents share recommendations and stay in the loop. Matt has expanded slightly outside of Dunwoody and now covers the entire top end of the Perimeter through his Top End ATL channels.
Matt is a Dunwoody REALTOR® who helps people navigate buying, selling, and moving in the area. Stay in the loop with local updates, listings, and insights by signing up here: whatsupdunwoody.com/email
What is Tunes and Taps in Dunwoody?
Tunes and Taps is a live music and community event at the Shops of Dunwoody, happening Saturday, May 30 from 4 to 10pm. It features two live bands, food and drinks from Dunwoody Tavern and Taqueria Los Hermanos, a raffle for $3,000 in DRG gift cards, and a Guinness ripple machine. All ticket proceeds go directly to Camp Twin Lakes.
When and where is Tunes and Taps?
Tunes and Taps is on Saturday, May 30 from 4 to 10pm at the Shops of Dunwoody in Dunwoody, Georgia. The stage is set up in the green astroturf area at the center of the shopping center.
How much are Tunes and Taps tickets and where can I buy them?
Tickets are $20 per person, available on Eventbrite. Every dollar from ticket sales goes to Camp Twin Lakes. Search Tunes and Taps Dunwoody on Eventbrite or use the link in this post.
What is the Dunwoody Beer Fest and how does it relate to Tunes and Taps?
The Dunwoody Beer Fest was an annual event that ran for 11 years at Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, Georgia. It grew from 200 attendees to nearly 5,000 at its peak and raised over $248,000 for Camp Twin Lakes. Tunes and Taps is a revival of that tradition, now hosted at the Shops of Dunwoody by Dunwoody Restaurant Group and Taqueria Los Hermanos.
What charity does Tunes and Taps benefit?
Tunes and Taps benefits Camp Twin Lakes, a nonprofit that provides year-round camp experiences for children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and other life challenges. The organization serves about 10,000 children and families each year across three campuses, and every child attends on a full scholarship. In addition to ticket sales, 20% of Dunwoody Tavern sales on May 30 also go to Camp Twin Lakes.
What bands are playing at Tunes and Taps?
Mike Veal Band performs at 4pm and the Basement Band takes the stage at 7pm. Mike Veal Band plays blues, rock, and funk and is known as Atlanta's favorite party band. The Basement Band is a Dunwoody-based cover group playing rock, pop, and country, available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Who is Huw Thomas and what is Dunwoody Restaurant Group?
Huw Thomas is the founder of Dunwoody Restaurant Group, the largest chain of pubs in Atlanta. He opened Dunwoody Tavern at the Shops of Dunwoody in 1996 and has since grown to five locations: Dunwoody Tavern, King George Tavern, Ship and Anchor Pub in Sandy Springs, Iron Horse Tavern in Norcross, and Bat and Ball Pub in Brookhaven.