What was known as “The Stagecoach Bar and Grill” in Stuart has recently fallen under new ownership, received a new name, and a whole new menu makeover.
Doug and Erin Erb of Stuart recently took ownership of what was the Stagecoach Bar and Grill in Stuart, and plan on having a grand re-opening for the business under the name “The Central Bar” on Tuesday, July 1.
After much deliberation between the two, D. and E. Erb elected to pull the trigger on this new chapter of their lives a little over four months ago.
“We decided to purchase the establishment in the beginning of March”, D. Erb said. “The basic thought process behind it all was that we could create a successful business model based off of what the bar had previously done, and how we thought we could improve things beyond that.”
Once their offer on the Stagecoach Bar and Grill was accepted, the duo immediately got to work with plans on reopening the business as their own, despite their already busy schedules with what are now their previous full-time jobs.
The duo got to work, and once the purchase agreement was signed at the beginning of June, they created an LLC, got a Tax I.D. number, applied for a liquor license, and continued with all of the other behind-the-scenes things as quickly as possible.
“It was a process putting everything together and it took most of May and June to finally complete,” said D. Erb. “Erin was the rockstar that made most of the applications come to fruition. She worked her tail off lining everything up while I finished up the school year. This whole adventure wouldn’t be possible without her drive and ambition.”
Now, with some of the more tedious work out of the way, D. and E. Erb are on the verge of re-opening the bar, which has been closed for business since May while the Erbs continue to make it their own.
“We changed the name of the bar to “The Central Bar”, D. Erb stated when talking about the notable changes being made. “We decided to embrace the dive bar feel, so we simplified the menu. There will be broaster chicken, flame-grilled burgers and chicken sandwiches, toasted subs, and we will provide specialty pizzas as well.”
Included amongst those specialty pizzas are cheeseburger, chicken bacon ranch, meat lovers, and Philly cheese steak.
To go along with the more “basic” dive-bar feel of the food menu, The Central Bar kept things simple with the drink menu.
“Our drink menu will be your basic beers and liquors,” D. Erb said. “Although we do plan on having pitchers and drafts of the more popular options like Coors Light, Busch Light, and Michelob Ultra. The basic idea was to try and find a way to keep things simple yet set ourselves apart from Cast Iron and Southside. They have great food and service, so we didn’t want to replicate something that is already being done right.”
Although the couple is happy with how things are coming along and have enjoyed their ride thus far, the journey to where they are now was far from easy.
“The hardest part has been leaving our previous employment,” D. Erb admitted. “I taught music for eleven years, so it was difficult to leave my friends, colleagues, and students. I loved my work and will miss it terribly. The same goes for Erin. She worked at Cast Iron for four years. She was terribly saddened to leave such a wonderful establishment. Dustin and Alyson were mentors to her and were a driving force that made us think that we could really make a go of this whole thing. Our family will have to make some large adjustments, but it is our hope that we can serve the community of Stuart and make everyone proud.”
However, despite the hardships and tribulation, the re-opening of The Central Bar now sits just around the corner, and the excitement is starting to outweigh the nervousness for the Erbs.
“We’ve had tons of support from the community,” D. Erb said. “Mainly there are two questions that get asked, ‘when will we be open’ and ‘will we still serve chicken’. Everyone seems excited, and we have been working hard to try and make them proud. Be patient with us, it will be a process at first.”
Although they don’t have anything extravagant in mind for their grand re-opening, the duo is just excited to be able to serve patrons consistently and as quickly as they can.
“Erin and I cannot thank the school and the leadership down at Cast Iron enough,” D. Erb stated. “We love you all truly from the bottom of our hearts for your guidance and employment. Thank you to Delma at Southside for sitting down and letting me pick your brain! It is our hope that we can strengthen this community by working together with successful people such as yourselves. Thank you to the community for all of your support, and we can’t wait for everyone to “dive on in" on July 1.”
The re-opening of The Central Bar under the ownership of the Erbs is currently set for Tuesday, July 1. On Tuesday, July 1, The Central Bar will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Full weekly regular hours for The Central Bar are as follows:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday – Thursday: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; 5:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.