By Beacon Staff
Whenever opportunity bites, Josh Smith bites back harder.
That’s how he suddenly became the owner of the newly christened Smitty’s Bar and Grill, located in the same Main Street site formerly occupied by Scoop’s Bar and Grill in Mediapolis. The name of the new bar is just a spin on Smith’s last name.
“I’ve always wanted to do my own business. I wasn’t really sure what. And this became a good opportunity,” he said.
Smith hopes to be open for business by the end of the month, and possibly even sooner. He’s just tying up a few loose ends.
“It’s going to be a great, family-friendly atmosphere, as well as bar and grill. We’re going to have a jukebox in here, there’s going to be a pool table and a dartboard,” Smith said.
Josh’s uncle, Tom Duffy, owned the space prior to him, back when it was called Scoop’s, and his father, Wayne Smith, worked at Scoop’s before it closed.
For a while, Wayne considered purchasing the place himself, until Josh showed interest. Instead, Wayne will work for his son as a day manager.
“My mom didn’t really want him to buy it, and I was like, ‘What if I buy it? Can he work for me?’ ” Josh said. “I actually signed the papers to buy this on Super Bowl Sunday.”
A Burlington native who now lives in West Burlington, Josh Smith worked for Clear Falls Bottled Water in Burlington for nearly 10 years. He works for Furniture Row as a delivery driver now and will run the bar in his remaining free time.
“I am getting antsy to open. I’m ready for it. It’s new to me. I love new experiences,” he said. “I actually kept a couple of staff members, and I’ve hired on a couple of others, and dad will be day manager, and he will be cooking in the day.”
Smith said there won’t be a bartender during daytime hours, but there will be alcohol available to go. He believes it’s a unique feature that should attract attention.
“Our liquor license actually allows us to sell liquor to-go,” Josh said.
The food will be familiar to former patrons of Scoop’s Bar and Grill, though that, too, is something Smith plans on expanding. There will be appetizers, pizza, sandwiches, cheeseburgers, and tenderloins.
“I haven’t made too many changes to what they’ve done here. We did change up some things on the menu. For the most part, it’s going to be pretty much the same until we are fully staffed,” he said, noting the layout will also be similar.
Above all, Josh wants Smitty’s to be a community bar. He’s already working with Great River Entertainment to bring in dart tournaments, and he would like to host promotions in conjunction with community events, like street dances and poker runs.
“I’m hoping to bring some stuff to the community that hasn’t been here before,” he said. “Since I’m not from here, I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone.”