How to go
What: Ole Friends Tavern
Where: 549 E. Main St., Lebanon
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Mondays- Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Sundays
Info: (513) 836-3211
LEBANON — Bruce Mentrup’s promise may not seem like much on a dreary cold Monday when the rain is falling for what seems like the 100th day in a row. But he is sure the promise will be more than appreciated on a sweltering August night.
“We have the coldest beer in town,” Mentrup promises. “We have eight taps, all the lines are refrigerated. I can’t serve a frosted mug because it bubbles up too much.”
Mentrup is the owner and proprietor of Ole Friends Tavern, a recently opened bar. While he is new to the barkeep trade, he obviously has a handle on what patrons want — a frosty cold drink at a reasonable price.
“I called it Ole Friends because I wanted this to be a place for friends to come together and have fun,” Mentrup said.
Mentrup said he began entertaining the idea of opening a bar when his wife died three years ago.
“I scouted this place out for about a year before I decided to commit to it,” Mentrup said. “I always knew it was well-received, but this was a whole new world for me.”
True to the bar’s name, Mentrup had a group of devoted “old friends” help him clean up the establishment and prepare to open.
Ole Friends is at the site of the former Main Street Tavern, a bar that closed a few years ago.
“I didn’t change too much,” Mentrup said. “People appreciated how it used to be, and I didn’t want to mess with that.”
Mentrup said he hopes to be able to add food services within the next year. The bar has several pool tables, a foosball table and several TVs.
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