New Owners to Resurrect Egan’s Name & Spirit on the Tuscaloosa Strip

A veteran team of Tuscaloosa business owners is joining forces to resurrect one of the Strip's most iconic bars, at least in name and spirit.

Established in 1979, Egan's Bar enjoyed a more than four-decade run as a beloved dive bar for locals and professors, Bama fans and lovers of live music before permanently closing in 2021.

Afterward, new owners launched a martini bar in the space called Unique, but it also closed at the end of May.

Now, a fresh set of owners is renovating the bar at 1229 University Boulevard and aiming to open Egan's Irish Pub very soon - possibly before the month's end.

They're led by Nick Chichester, who owns GloryBound Gyro Company, Hopper's Corner bar, and GB Nutrition, all within a few steps of the Egan's location.

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Chichester said he and his partners have both permission and blessing from the bar's longtime owner, Bob Weatherly, to reuse the name and pay homage to the place's legacy.

"It just didn't feel right to call it anything else," Chichester said in an interview this week. "We're talking about, I think, the second oldest bar in Tuscaloosa. There is a rich history of people and musicians who have come through here, and when you're standing in that space, unless you're going just to tear it all down and start over, it doesn't feel right to take the name off the building. "

Jackie's Bar and Harry's are both older than Egan's was, but that's neither here nor there - it was an icon for more than 40 years, which is a considerable achievement in the tough Tuscaloosa market.

Now Chichester and the others will open a bar that bears its name, but won't try to replicate its atmosphere, which no one could ever manage.

"I don't know if you could ever replace the vibe that place created, right? So, I didn't even try," Chichester said. "It's going to be under the spirit of the Egan's name, an Irish pub feel featuring lots of  stained wood, a welcoming environment, good stories, good vibes, cold drinks and lots of pints."

But no - there won't be smoking allowed inside anymore. Chichester said the modern bar patron has shown time and again they prefer a smoke-free indoor environment, and Egan's will instead feature smoking patios out front and back.

"We're doing a pretty extensive draft selection with Guinness on tap, and we're going to do lots of live music," Chichester said. "That's one of the areas where I think we can lean into the Egan's spirit and book tons of live music. I'd like it to be a place where every weekend you can come down, catch somebody playing something, stay here for a few hours, and have a few drinks."

Chichester said he understands he's wading deeper into one of the most volatile industries an entrepreneur can enter. Still, GloryBound has been a success for more than 10 years now, and there's much more institutional knowledge of the unique business environment of the Tuscaloosa Strip coming from his partners. They all agree there's a good opportunity at Egan's.

"You've got to design your business model around maximizing sales when sales are to be made and minimizing loss through the time you know is going to be slow," he said. "We spend a lot of time on spreadsheet after spreadsheet, charting what's coming up, when do we want to schedule events, when do we want to book shows, when do we want to shut down, when do we want to slim down because it's worth being open but not all the way. It's a big chess game."

Equally important is having good people, and Chichester said that between his partners and the staff they hope to hire, they'll be able to succeed at Egan's Irish Pub and, in their own way, pay respects to the name on the door by serving whoever walks through it.

"We're very blessed to have the team that we have that has been helping us get the place ready to back ready to back open," Chichester said. "We hope you guys come give us a try and just be honest with us, even if it's a criticism."

For more coverage of restaurant and retail development in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.