County of site: Lincoln County
Location of site: 203 Broadway St., Elsberry
Elsberry prepares to welcome third installment of Tubby’s Grub & Pub
"If everything goes according to plan Elsberry will soon have one less vacant building to contend with.
"Tubby’s Grub & Pub is planning to expand its already successful chain by opening another location in the building that formerly housed the Dawg House Bar and Grill.
“This will be our third location,” said Debbie Visnaw. “We have a location in New London and another one in Clarksville.”
"Visnaw manages both the New London and Clarksville facilities and will serve as the manager of the new Elsberry location as well.
“He keeps me busy,” said Visnaw.
"For those wondering who “he” is, it turns out that there is in fact a real “Tubby”.
“Tubby’s real name is Mark Freihaut,” said Visnaw. “He’s originally from Hawk Point but now lives at Mark Twain Lake. He opened the New London location three years ago and then expanded to Clarksville two years ago.”
"Visnaw said the Clarksville location has always received a lot of patrons from the Elsberry area and many of those people have been pleading with her for an Elsberry establishment for some time.
“They kept asking and we kept saying no until we finally found a location and a price that was right,” said Visnaw.
"The deal was officially inked in March and Visnaw was hoping for a May 1 opening.
"That plan has hit a major obstacle, however.
“We had to replace all of the plumbing and that set us back a little bit,” said Visnaw.
"Visnaw now has no particular date in mind, but said the plan is to open the establishment as soon as possible.
"Once that has happened, Visnaw plans to run the facility in much the same manner as the other two locations.
“We offer a lot of food at our other locations and we hope to do the same thing here,” said Visnaw. “We have a six-page menu so we will be able to offer a variety of food to the Elsberry community.”
"The menu will offer both dine-in and carry-out options.
"Visnaw said that, as the name implies, the business will serve alcohol and there will be a pool table.
"That aside, she said she wants to reassure local residents that all of the company’s locations are family-oriented and this one will be no different.
“We have a zero tolerance policy,” said Visnaw. “All of our bartenders are trained and they understand how to avoid overserving. To put things in black and white, we simply don’t overserve. We will cut you off and send you home.”
"Visnaw said she looks forward to making the new business a part of the community.
“All of our locations are in small towns,” said Visnaw. “When you open a business in a small community it is important to become a part of that community.”
"Visnaw said that in that spirit the company’s other two locations participate regularly in events such as the New London Park Days and the Clarksville Chilli Cook-Off.
"She added that she anticipates doing similar things in Elsberry, especially with the interest and welcome she has received from local residents.
"Visnaw also said she was grateful for the assistance she has received from Elsberry’s city officials.
“Everyone at the Elsberry City Hall has been great to us,” said Visnaw. “They’ve answered all of my questions and helped me whenever I needed it.” ~ The Elsberry Democrat, Wednesday, April 29, 2015