Thirsty's will be back to town!

Thirsty’s on Atlantic Avenue will soon be back!!!

Our town has mourned the loss of Thirsty’s for a good number of years. It’s location at Atlantic Avenue has been a bar for a very long time, with different owners and different names. It has been Dassel Pool Hall, Bert’s Place, Dassel Tavern, Gustav’s on Main, then Thirsty’s. The site was once the location of a

blacksmith Shop in 1886, F. Spath Blacksmith and more than likely other

incarnations that I have not discovered.

In 2002 Rob and Connie Walters purchased Gustav’s on Main from Sandy Oslager and renamed the site Thirsty’s.

Thirsty’s was sold to Dan and Monica Ward in 2017 and the Ward’s maintained the name Thirsty’s. The Ward’s attempted to sell it to another owner in 2020, but that sale fell through, and it stayed empty until this year when it was purchased by Kevin “Wally” Olson and Robin Lewis.

I met with Robin a few days ago to learn more.

Wally Olson and Robin Lewis, The Dynamic Duo

Wally and Robin have a history of taking on challenges. They have turned around The Red Lodge in Waverly, MN and the Heights Bar and Grill in Buffalo. Both restaurants were struggling to maintain a viable presence in their communities and the dynamic duo of Wally and Robin brought them back to life. Until recently they owned the Hay Loft Bar and Grill south of St Cloud.

They embrace the opportunity to recreate prosperity in a struggling business and believe that in doing so they are giving back to the community. That is part of the driving force behind their success, the theory of giving back and helping.

Gustav's Bar with unknown woman. Does anyone know her name?

the counter red. Robin and her son in law, Justin, of Just In Case Property Services in Delano, put in many hours of elbow grease and brought the bar back to its former glory. They diligently maintained quite a bit of it's

history, deliberately not over sanding the cigarette burns on the back bar, left from years of bartenders setting down their cigarettes to serve drinks.

Unfortunately, the base of the bar counter had vanished. Robin and Justin built a new base and finished it in such a way to blend the new with the old. The refinished bar is totally lovely. The tin ceiling had been removed and was nowhere to be found. The Dynamic Duo plus Justin are replacing the tin ceiling with new tin pieces. Their goal is to maintain the tavern’s historical significance in this town. Robin said that she credits Justin for a great deal of hard work to restore Thirsty’s.

Robin is the artistic eye of the duo. She plans on a farming theme for the bar, along with one wall to be a showcase of Dassel history.

A full kitchen has been installed and new beer coolers placed on site so that they will not need to replace kegs under the bar any longer but will have an automated

system. They will have a full bar.

They plan a full menu of bar and grill offerings, and at a future point will offer the same pizza that they create in The Red Lodge Grill.

The Duo have hired a full staff, a bar manager and servers and a cook. They try to hire from our town of Dassel in order to continue the tradition of Thirsty’s being a community bar.

At this time, they have not decided on future events such as live music or meat raffles.

Wally and Robin are waiting for a few more steps to be completed prior to reopening. They are awaiting visits from state health inspectors. When that is completed, they believe they can quickly open, they are planning on it being soon.

Let's Welcome Thirsty’s back to town!