The Bar is More Than Just 'A Bar'

  Four years ago, Christopher and Megan Soroka started with a simple premise: Take a classic, old Dearborn watering hole and turn it into something they could be proud of. A true neighborhood gathering place where old-timers could rub elbows with thirty and forty-somethings. Where everyone would feel welcome. Something they could call their own.
  “It’s small ‘Mom and Pop’ places like this that built this economy,” notes Mr. Soroka. “The corporate world has gotten so big we tend to forget that. We wanted to bring back a simpler time.”
  They certainly kept things simple when choosing a name. The old tavern had been called The Holiday Bar, McFadden’s and, most recently, JP Kelly’s. Megan decided on something even more elemental: The Bar.
  “Megan came up with that to get people talking,” Mr. Soroka recalls. “Usually people say, ‘We’ll meet at the bar.’ In our case, they really were.”
  Megan also managed at Cheli’s Chili and had experience running places throughout Dearborn. Between she and Christopher, they worked together and built that place they dreamed of. A spot where you could find a great burger, fantastic fried fish and even a fried bologna sandwich. If you were lucky, you’d get a great conversation, too. The walls were lined with pictures of Dearborn past and present. The Bar felt like home.
  Unfortunately, things didn’t stay simple. On a cold January morning two years ago, Megan and a co-worker were murdered at Cheli’s downtown by a disgruntled ex-employee. That’s when time stopped for Christopher and for Megan’s family and friends.
  How do you recover from such unbearable loss? Well, the sad fact is you probably never do. You struggle through each hour and every day. Which is what Christopher Soroka has done for the last two years.
  But here’s the remarkable thing, that barest glint of light amid such darkness: Megan and Christopher’s dream lives on. Mr. Soroka has, with the help of an extraordinary staff, kept The Bar going. Surely, it hasn’t been easy, but The Bar is still that special spot where neighbors go. They still drink and eat and laugh and joke and leave happy. It still feels like home.
And that’s all Christopher and Megan ever wanted in the first place.

The Bar is located at 16o1o Michigan Avenue, west of Greenfield.  Stop by Super Bowl Sunday for raffles, drink specials and a burger. We'll have the fried bologna sandwich.