Owners of Fat Bob’s Smokehouse, Patrick and Bridget Ryan, have announced that the time has come to make some serious changes to the restaurant’s bar. After 28 years in business, while operating in a post-pandemic world, the decision has been made to step it up with a significant investment into the opertional dynamics of the space.
“In 2020, things changed,” Patrick told me. “The bar side of the business never came back the way that we thought it would. Since that time, the food business has taken over a significant part of the bar space. Because of that, we have decided that we need to make adjustments to the flow of the operation, to recapture between 25%-30% of the bar that we cannibalized. As we began to take a look at rebuilding the bar, and altering the layout of the service areas, it was like peeling off the skin of an onion. There’s a big cooler in the middle, which doesn’t allow for a strong visual presence. Therefore, we’re envisioning a new, more welcoming concept that caters to people who want to eat and drink at the bar. It’s going to be more comfortable, more appealing, and will give us something that we can be proud of for the next 25 years of business.”
To date, numerous significant investments have already been made at Fat Bob’s, including repairing the roof and upgrading kitchen equipment. A new overhang roof was also added to the back patio, which has become a little bit if an eating and drinking oasis in recent years. These investments are mainly behind the scenes. But now, the bar aesthetic and functional improvements are on the way.
Patrick told me that they have retained the services of architect Mike Anderson (Abstract Architecture) to tackle what he is calling Phase 1 of this reworking of the bar area. Since the 1980s, this hospitality hotspot has pretty much looked and acted the same, with no substantial investments, including the infrastructure.
As the bar industry continues to change, the restaurant operators must figure out ways to also change. By reconfiguring the bar, the server station, the take-out aspect, and the rest, Patrick is confident that he has the right formula for a new and improved Fat Bob’s that everyone can appreciate for years to come…