January 3, 2014 at 11:52 a.m.
Deau turns family tavern over to cousin
Deau turns family tavern over to cousin
By Kayla Thomason-
Pat Deau, former owner of Pat's Tavern and Grill in Rhinelander, handed over the reins of the family business to his cousin Dennis Hooker on New Year's Eve.
Deau is named after his grandfather who founded the tavern in 1930. He took over the business almost four decades ago and has now made the decision to pass it on to the next generation.
"Well after being here for almost 39 years it was just kind of time," he said. "It's part of the family still, his mom and my dad were brother and sister. It was just a changing of the relatives basically when it came right down to it."
Deau said the timing for the changeover was right for both parties. He said he will be spending more time with his family but will help out a few hours a week. Hooker said patrons need not worry about anything changing too much, the hours and food will stay the same.
"Nothing is changing except for the bar is being passed down through family," Hooker said. "We are going to maintain the history and the heritage of the bar and focus in on music, our menu and just the Rhinelander area."
Deau is confident in his cousin's abilities and knowledge of the tavern.
"It worked out good for me and good for him and I wouldn't do it for anybody else as far as what I did," he said. "He showed interest. He's been here the last four or five years so that worked out. It's not like he is all of a sudden getting thrown in to the lions, he got into this business being part of his heritage. That's why it was an easy change for me."
Pat's Tavern is located at 70 Brown St. in Rhinelander.
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