The New Tick Tock Tavern: Countdown to Opening

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been granted the opportunity to write a bit about the build-out of the Tick Tock Tavern. As a journalist moving into a new field, I knew that the pieces had the potential to read as nothing but advertisements for the place; the trick would be to make the pieces ring true as actual looks behind the curtain, giving some insights into what happens in the final weeks of a bar coming together. I’d like to say that the first two came close. And I’d like to think the third could neatly sum things up, as we approach the final hours of not being open.

I’d like to write just such a piece. But I’m. So. Darned. Tired.

Some years back, I helped open a downtown martini lounge called Pablo’s. Lots of work took place before the first staffers joined in on the fun, but the lion’s share of the physical work happened in the last few days. I can recall watching the bases of booths getting painted black just a couple of hours before the patrons were sitting in them. (And no one was the wiser.) It was that kind of crunch. The experience, now 20 years old, is one that I’ve thought of a lot lately, as this 20-years-empty space clicks back into operation.

For starters, I should say that I’m in on this with folks smarter than me on many machinations. One partner, Fred Hessel, is daily involved in neighborhood development and he enjoys wielding a drill. The other, Steven Smith, has won goodwill for an already-successful operation called The Royale, and his ability to set up our books is essential. That kind of triangular approach allows me to get lost in the aisles of Restaurant Depot, as I’m learning new twists on the bar business not daily, but hourly.

Instead of trying to play this through a longer narrative, here are a few musings that have presented themselves in the past few days.

* Steve Ewing owns Steve’s Hot Dogs Tower Grove, a business accessible to ours by use of an interior door. Our businesses are joined at the hip, so I’ve seen a lot of Steve Ewing recently. I should say that in addition to being a restaurant owner, he’s the singer in a band called The Urge, a very successful one. About a week back, on his birthday, Steve Ewing was scrubbing the floors of his kitchen just before midnight. On hand-and-knees, cleaning with purpose. Steve Ewing’s got a huge following on social media and some folks might assume that his involvement in his two restaurants is largely about marketing his own name. Those folks would be wrong. Dude works hard, makes you want to work harder.

* Which brings me to the reality that not all of us are imbued with the same skills. A week ago, I decided to add some luster to a wood overhang that leans over our backbar. The product I used was thin and the color too dark. Within the span of about five seconds, the stuff was running everywhere and my frantic attempts to wipe it away caused the old old cedar shingle planks to just soak it in quicker. What an ugly mess! For a few days, the splotch taunted me every time I walked into the space, a reminder that hard work doesn’t always equate to smart work. Luckily, our carpenter, Justin Stein, was able to reconnect some old shingles, in such a way that the error’s never going to be seen. Some skills you can learn, some jobs are best left to the pros.

* Yesterday, Steven Smith dropped a TV by the bar--his very own TV, in fact--so that we’d something to “watch the game on.” The presence of a TV’s an interesting one. For days, I’ve been aware of Ferguson news, but have mostly caught it in brief snippets, quick hits via social media or from conversations with friends. But with the TV on two things happened. One, the world flooded into our little work bubble, with a reminder that there’s a whole lotta stuff happening outside of these doors, as if we needed a reminder. Two, it reminded everyone that a TV at a bar should be there for purposeful viewing; if there’s something worth watching (World Cup soccer and “Firefly” come immediately to mind), turn it on; if not, leave it off and make the people talk and socialize. Good conversations can happen in the absence of the constant glow.

* Speaking of civility, Chris Valier of The Civil Life Brewing Co. hand-painted something above our front door. It’s a replica of the Civil Life logo, featuring an old-timey chap and the simple message “Be civil.” It’s an ad, yes, but it reflects our greatest hope: that we add to the quality of the neighborhood. On one hand, the message is overt, the two words, “be civil,” asking for peace and quiet and understanding. On another, it’s also a reflection of craft; the piece itself was worked on by-hand, taking hours to create and hung. Beer and liquor companies will fill your space with every manner of visual noise, should you want that. To have things on-site that sorta matter? That’s really nice.

* Volunteers. When friends and relatives come by to help paint or pull weeds or clean, it’s great. It’s super-appreciated. It’s not a shocker, though. But when folks you don’t know drop by to do that kind of work it’s kinda nuts. The other day, one of our weekend bartenders, the Fortune Teller Bar’s co-owner Matt Thenhaus, worked on-site, sorting out our back bar and generally cleaning out what had become a fairly-disorganized jobsite. He also worked for a few hours alongside a fellow named Don Schroeder, who came up, with his adult son Jordan, to pitch in. A fan of Steve’s Hot Dogs, Schroeder simply wanted to lend a hand and he and his offspring jumped into some of the messier work, bringing order to a storeroom, cleaning tables and chairs, generally making themselves huge assets. It was humbling.

* A last thing. As mentioned earlier, my rounds have taken me to Restaurant Depot, where I’ve met the friendliest employee, anywhere, ever. His name’s Scott and he manages the small wares department. He’s unbelievable at putting new and confused customers at ease cracking jokes as he loads up your cart with sundries. There’s no hard sell, just directions and smart insights. Scott’s a gem. And he’s got a job I’ve never thought of: manager of the small wares department at a major restaurant supply store. In driving around town over the past few weeks, there’ve been so many wrinkles on the “wow, I didn’t know of this job” game. I’ve met traditional sales folks and forklift operators, excise officials and health inspectors, the installers of glasswashers and the delivery drivers of Donkey Kong. It’s a big, old, teeming world out there and people are doing all sorts of things. This should seem self-evident and I’m maybe reading too much into these moments, but: the bar business is full of interesting characters, on every level up-and-down the dial. You can sense that when sitting at a bar, but working to put one together confirms it. This’ll be a strange way to make a dollar. A fascinating one, too.

Editor's Note: Barring any unforeseen complications, the Tick Tock Tavern will reopen on Monday, August 18.