City View Tavern, the 150-year-old Mount Adams dive bar famous for its skyline views and its beloved Big Ted burger, has a new owner. Randy Freking, a retired employment lawyer, takes the reins Saturday, becoming just the fifth owner in the tavern’s long history at 403 Oregon St.
Freking purchased the building, the land, and the liquor license, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He told the paper he has been coming to City View for almost 50 years and dreamed of owning the place ever since he saw it listed for sale back in 2020. Now retired from Freking Myers & Reul, the Cincinnati employment law firm he co-founded in 1990 and stepped away from at the end of 2020 after three decades representing workers, Freking is bringing a lifetime of regular-customer loyalty into the owner’s chair.
The sale closes a six-year marketing effort. Commercial real estate agency OnSite Retail Group was first hired in August 2020 by seller Debra Henning to find a buyer for the building, business, and liquor license, and the asking price was lowered twice over that span from an original $740,000, the Enquirer reports. Joshua Rothstein, who managed the sale, said the final price ended up being far more than he expected to get.
A Dive Bar That Isn’t Changing Its Stripes
Despite the ownership change, Freking insists City View’s identity is staying exactly as regulars know it. The vibe of the tavern will not change at all, he said, according to the same Enquirer report. He plans to add more comfortable seating, install new televisions, and introduce happy hour specials, while also expanding the burger menu with vegetarian options…