‘Stronger and better than ever.’ Popular spot in downtown Macon to make a comeback

After a catastrophic roof collapse, Bearfoot Tavern in downtown Macon is gearing up to come back “better than ever.”

The popular gastropub at 468 Second St. remains temporarily closed after heavy winds and a hard rain collapsed the roof July 21.

“From the day it closed, we were resolved to come back stronger and better than ever,” said Bearfoot Tavern owner Kris Ellis. “It’s been a challenging time.

“But our spirit’s not broken. It is hard to come back from something like this. But fortunately, everybody’s been on the same page and of the same mindset.”

The popular spot took a major step forward with the recent completion of the new roof, with the remodeling of the interior now underway.

When it reopens, Bearfoot Tavern will have a new floor plan that includes a larger kitchen and a new private dining area, Ellis said.

“Just all new facilities,” he said. “It’s going to be nicer — scaled up a little bit. It’ll be, I’d like to think, one of the nicer spots downtown after we’re done.”

While much will be new, much will also remain the same.

“People can expect the same great brews and draft beers on tap, the same food,” Ellis said. “We’re going to expand the menu a bit.

“We’re going to do something really big for a grand opening. I don’t know what that will be just yet but something really nice just to show our gratitude to the community for standing by us and supporting us through this challenging time.”

When the tavern will reopen isn’t certain.

“I’m hesitant to say just because, you know, construction has been topsy-turvy and it’s also the holidays,” Ellis said. “So our hope was we would be open by the end of the year.

“But I’m not sure if we’re going to meet that deadline. I hope we will but I don’t know for sure.”

The temporary closure has been “a nightmare” for Ellis, but there also have been some silver linings.

Among the hurdles is no revenue coming in, but utilities still requiring payments. But Ellis has been able to keep some key staff members on payroll.

“The city’s been good to work with,” Ellis said. “They’ve been understanding, and we’ve been working with Piedmont (Construction Group). They’ve been very good to us and helping us get this rebuilt.”

When the roof collapsed, Piedmont Construction Group was actually working on the building next door for Ellis, who’s also opening a six-lane duckpin bowling alley called The Social Duck in that space.

“They just jumped right in and started helping us with this, which we really appreciated,” Ellis said. “So that’s been a good thing.”

The Social Duck will have an interconnecting door to the tavern for bowlers to be able to get food and drinks. Duckpin bowling is a variant of the traditional 10-pin bowling that uses smaller pins and smaller bowling balls.

Bearfoot Tavern moved from its original location on Cherry Street to its current space on Second Street in 2016 under its previous ownership. Ellis purchased The Bearfoot Tavern in May 2021.

The building that houses Bearfoot Tavern is believed to have been built in the late 1880s with many purposes over the years, including as a wholesale grocer, clothing store, bookstore and as Macon’s first modern grocery store, a Piggly Wiggly that opened on Nov. 9, 1918, according to Telegraph archives.

Ellis now owns the building as well as one next to it that will house The Social Duck, which he expects to open in the first quarter of 2025.