A fresh coat of paint and new signage aren't all you'll find at the reopened Commercial Taphouse. (Photo courtesy Joseph Miller)
Commercial Taphouse is back. Rumors swirled in August as beer fans and food writers surmised the fate of Richmond's OG beer bar. An Bui, the owner, announced he would step away from the restaurant and beer hub, but not because he wanted to close the place; he had concerns about the building and the safety of his employees, and didn’t feel he could be there as much as he wanted, nor rectify his issues with the building's lease.
Enter Joseph Miller, a former on-premise sales manager at the distributor Specialty Beverage. Bui and Miller have known each other for years, and when the former lamented his woes to the latter, an idea came to them both: Miller would take over the business, renegotiate the lease and continue the Fan bar’s incredible beer legacy. “I took this as an opportunity to pay my respect or homage to the beer community in Richmond," says Miller. "I want to have a clean, comfortable environment for everybody, which is what [Commercial] began as.”
Commercial Taphouse will open its doors again next week, hopefully by Wednesday; check its Facebook page for updates. Regulars will be happy to see some familiar themes, like that great beer selection and the “dive-esque” bar feel. But “cosmetically, everything feels different," Miller says. "There was a lot of cleaning — a lot. We painted everything, changed the floors. We took some of the old décor, some of the older things and repurposed them; we wanted to share the history, make it familiar but new at the same time.”
A new roof is assuaging Bui's previous concerns of a dangerous work environment caused by water damage. The old wood floors have been removed, revealing concrete below that has been polished, adding what Miller says is a little more ambiance.
The menu is still a work in progress, and might continue to be so forever. As for beer, Miller knows he will have more permanent taps with fewer rotations, to stay consistent. Food will center around accessible sandwiches: a Cuban, a meatball, a banh mi and a “sandwich a day,” — very scaled back and all made in house. The new restaurateur plans to eventually build a dinner program called “Dinner at Commercial,” offering one special a night, but that is “down the road a bit,” Miller shares.
Of Bui, Miller says, “An left an amazing infrastructure for me: a new draft system, all of the new equipment, plates, glassware, etc. We’ve been working together for a long time. It was nice to see that he knew I could do something special here.”
Commercial Taphouse is located at 111 N. Robinson St. in the Fan and is set to reopen sometime next week.
