Bobby's Bar Opens Driven By Passion And A Deeper Mission In Place

BROOKFIELD, WI — Bob Meuler spent 37 years of his life selling educational materials, but to this day, he considers the best sales pitch of his career he ever made was the one he used to convince his wife to allow him to buy a bar.

In the back of his mind, Meuler always envisioned what bar ownership would look like. But at the core of his business plan he first developed 25 years ago was the unique mission of making sure that each day his establishment was open, a portion of the proceeds would go to help children.

So when he opened Bobby’s Bar on Aug. 21 in the spot that has been occupied by Slim McGinn’s Irish Pub for more than two decades, Meuler — who began as a bus boy at Milwaukee’s Boulevard Inn before he transitioned to a bartender before he graduated from Marquette — put his plan into action and started to make good on his promise.

Now open every day, 5 percent of every day’s sales at Bobby's Bar will go directly to the Ronald McDonald House of Eastern Wisconsin, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, The Make A Wish Foundation and Juvenile Diabetes Research Funding on a rotating basis.

Meuler, who has volunteered and served on the board of directors for various children’s charities in the past, said helping others has always been at his core after growing up in a large family, the youngest of 12 children. Throughout his life, making sure family — and others — are taken care of has always been a priority, which made it part of his business plan for the bar he has always wanted.

While several of his nieces and nephews have benefitted from the charities he is now giving back to, Meuler wanted to make sure his business plan of giving back takes place on a daily basis. There will be special events such as the Kentucky Derby party his bar will host on Saturday that will benefit children's charities, but the philanthropic efforts will go beyond that, he said.

“I’ve always made it a goal of mine that if I ever did this, I want to make sure the centerpiece is giving back to a children’s charity,” Meuler told Patch on Wednesday. “It’s always been a part of who I am.”

He added: “There are certainly restaurant and bar owners that do things throughout the year, but I wanted it to be a consistent message that every single day, something was going to help children…the more successful I can be, the more successful we can be in helping out these children’s charities.”

Since taking the former Slim McGinn’s over the previous owner and namesake of the pub last month, Meuler has been working 14-15 hours a day to get his new bar off the ground. After spending 136 nights on the road last year as part of his sales career, Meuler has long been accustomed to the long hours.

But now, as he attempts to launch his business in the midst of a global pandemic, he is committed to doing things the right way.

Meuler plans to keep the menu limited to ensure that the food that his bar serves is top-notch. He plans to keep some of the Irish staples from the previous owner on the menu to appease the regulars he has come to know, but also plans to put his own twist on the place to make it uniquely his. So while customers can still come in for their beloved corned beef sandwiches and a pint of Guinness, they will find other menu items that Meuler has come to love during his travels selling educational materials.

He said eventually, he plans to open for breakfast on Fridays and Saturdays, which will be an addition to a weekend brunch menu that will help Meuler put his stamp on the bar.

“It’s not like I am inventing a new recipe or a magic pill,” said Meuler, who plans to take a hands-on approach to the business. “But I think every single day, you have to drive business (and) not expect business.

“I think the problem with being in sales for 37 years is that you want everything immediate – I want everything quick and I want to make a sale every day. Obviously, here, I’m selling this place but everything doesn’t happen at once. It’s a work in progress.”