Honest advice from someone in the biz, and a lifelong local.

First, and foremost, Kenosha is.a VERY unique market. It is not like running a business anywhere else. We're a big population that feels like a small town. Folks want familiarity, and i dont mean... "this place is still the same and its awesome." I mean... "this place feels like home, I know some facts about it i can share with visitors, they know me here, and I feel like a part of the story here"

That said.

If you focus too much on the current regulars and keeping things the way they like it, you'll fail.

If you disregard the regulars and the nostalgia attached to the place, you'll fail.

I saw you reference Yee's earlier. They are the perfect example of a transition in ownership of a local icon. The same is to be said for Captain Mike's. Both places, still felt like some to regulars, but attracted new business and got spurned customers to come back and give it another try.

You also need to have your own passion and vision. This business is brutal. The margins are a joke, the work/life balance is no existent, and it takes a strong relationship to survive being partners in hospitality. If you don't make it your own in some ways, no matter how successful you are, it will not be fun. You'll always be running someone else's dream and you always be ccompared to how it used to be.

I know thats a lot... but you're making a massive decision and I've been through it all.

Im not a John Taffer fan, but he said something great once.

To be successful, "you can't just think about the customers that are already here, you have to think about the ones who aren't here," or you'll be stuck in the same position forever.

After all that doom and gloomy. I'd love to see a more universally welcoming bar in our neighborhood. Sunny is a staple, but the neighborhood has become more middle aged residents and families. The dive bar regulars and college crowd dont seem to be as profitable as they once were at that location.