Red Rock Saloon owners buying McGillycuddy'sThe owners of Red Rock Saloon are buying the bar down the road, McGillycuddy’s Bar & Grill, but plan to leave it mostly as it is.
Drew Deuster, a partner at Red Rock, met with reporter Wendy Strong and me Tuesday morning and confirmed that he and his partners, Joshua Janis and J.J. Kovacovich, are in the process of buying McGillycuddy’s, 1135 N. Water St., Milwaukee.
McGillycuddy’s shut its doors early this week, leading to speculation that the bar was closing permanently or changing concepts. But it will reopen Thursday after some minor upgrades and cleaning, Deuster said.
He expects the sale to close in about a month, pending approval of a liquor license for Deuster and his partners.
The group opened Red Rock, 1227 N. Water St., in 2010. Duester said they have been going to McGillycuddy’s for 10 years and approached the owners, Paul Melotik and Steve Smith, asking if they were interested in selling the 19-year-old establishment. They reached a deal after some negotiation, although Deuster declined to reveal the purchase price.
Duester, who also co-owns Decibel Nightclub on the east side, said the group plans to make few changes to McGillycuddy’s, although it might add some more standard Irish pub fare to the menu.
“Our goal is to just continue on the tradition of a really iconic bar,” he said.
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/table_talk/2011/08/red-rock-saloon-owners-buying.html?ed=2011-08-30&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub
