A new sports bar called Pack it in Pub, N6185 County Road D, Tilleda, is open for business and looking, as their name implies, to pack it in just in time for the Green Bay Packers season.
Owners Holly and Darold Suda remodeled The Wright’s Place, a time-honored establishment in the small town.
“We had a plan in place. My wife and I and a few friends pretty much handled all the remodeling on our own,” said Darold Suda. “Friends from our home in Door County came, parked their campers and helped us out for a couple of months.”
Owning a cleaning company prior to this endeavor and wanting to slow their lifestyle down, sort of semi-retiring, the Sudas chose to purchase a bar — it was something they could do together. Looking at a lot of bars in many different towns and especially in small towns, they felt this bar was the right size, especially wanting to do everything themselves.
“We wanted certain things, and this bar fit the bill for us,” said Darold Suda.
Currently living in Door County with their cleaning businesses in Green Bay, they are in the process of selling them now — planning as of the first of the year to be living full time in Pack it in’s upstairs housing area. Once done in Green Bay, they’ll have the time to fully focus their attention here on their new endeavor.
The previous owners, Harley and Mary Wright, owned the bar for 27 years. Along with giving the well-established bar a facelift, the new owners added numerous large, wall-mounted televisions strategically placed to cover all sports.
Wanting a sports bar not a restaurant, the couple removed the food tables, adding bar tables. Trying to accommodate as many people as possible within a small space, Darold built small bar tables attached to the walls, with the means to be folded down and out of the way when not in use.
Constructing a backyard patio deck complete with umbrella tables and an outdoor TV, the Sudas added piped-in music. A gaming and amusement company they’ve been in touch with put together a new pool table, which sports a Packers theme — fitting in with the ambiance of the sports bar theme. Adding the new pool table in the pool hall area as well as dart boards in a separate area gives both sports leagues ample room to play separately.
“Our plans going forward are to add leagues for both dart board and pool as well as adding (weather permitting) beanbag tournaments and horseshoes,” Darold Suda said. “We’d like to set up some UTV rides — poker runs. We’ll host charity events and have Tilleda Daze held in our parking lot. We run drink specials on Packer game days and have been pleasantly surprised with the preseason Packer games that bring in a nice crowd.”
Offering a full bar, Darold Suda said he and his wife are offering finger foods for now — pizza, chicken wings and tenders, mini tacos, mini corn dogs and cheese curds.
“It’s just the two of us,” Darold Suda said. “We’re doing this all on our own.”
While not serving specialty drinks at this time, they are happy to add them to their offering.
“It’s been a matter of learning what our clients are interested in and then finding the time to experiment and craft recipes for signature cocktails. It’s on our list.” Darold Suda said.
Featured on one wall of Pack it in Pub are autographed pictures of Packer players who ride kids’ bikes during training camp. The Green Bay Packers are known for their accessibility to their fans and the bar proudly displays that fact.
Keeping a Packer theme in mind without infringing on copyright laws, they considered a name for their new place - wanting to choose something catchy and fun.
“A couple of different meanings are in play,” Darold Suda said. “When we’re really busy we can say we’re ‘packing it in’ and when it’s time to leave we can say, ‘OK, gotta leave guys — we’re packing it in.’”
The Sudas have noticed everyone has been super supportive and kind. Respecting people’s opinions on helpful remodeling tips, they took into consideration varying advice.
Pack it in Pub is currently open Thursdays at 2 p.m. and Fridays at 11 a.m. Pack it in Pub can be found on Facebook.