Bar News
Fort Worth’s Mule Pub morphs into new neighborhood bar for whiskey business
The former Mule Pub, which closed in July, will be home to a new bar from a team who already has a stake in the Fort Worth nightlife scene. Whiskey Business will open at 5731 Locke Ave., from bar veterans Kevin Dunlap and Josh Campbell, two of the owners of the Rail Club.
Dunlap says they'll be open in October, possibly as early as next week.
The Mule Pub shut down in July after 17 years due to a conflict with the landlord. The space has been home to previous bars such as the Reservoir Lounge and the Pig & Whistle.
Dunlap says that they want to pick up the mantle left by those bars that have been there in the past. "We'll do a few things differently from the Mule, but our goal is to be a good neighborhood bar," he says.
That began with a mini-renovation.
"We went in and deep-cleaned and refurbished the space," he says. "I wouldn't say we gutted it, but we did update a lot of things, including replacing the bathrooms. We put down hardwood floors and replaced the bar countertops with beautiful wood. It's reminiscent of what we did when we remodeled the Rail Club last year."
One particular eyesore was on the floor. "They had this '80s casino carpet. We got rid of that," he says.
Although the name references whiskey, it'll have a full bar.
"We'll certainly have a wide variety of whiskey, including some fine top-shelf stuff," he says. "But we'll also have lots of local and craft beer on tap as well as wine and champagne, and any cocktail you can imagine."
At 27, Dunlap is a bit of a prodigy, but he's always been an entrepreneur. "I always wanted to be a business owner, from starting my own leaf-raking business, to when I began booking concerts as a profession at age 16," he says.
