Photo: TownLift

O’Shucks opened on Main Street in 1994. Since then, they have been open every day except for a few months during the Covid shutdown. They have been the locals’ bar for a long time. Now O’Shucks is moving to 628 Park Avenue. “Am I sad, yes, I am. In the big picture, we just grew up,” owner, Bruce Corrigan said. Their lease on Main Street ends May 31 and they plan to have parties every night for the last week.

Finding The White House

The Corrigans have been leasing the Main Street location on multi-year leases. As Main Street was changing, it became apparent that they couldn’t stay on Main Street. Corrigan got serious about finding a new location in mid-2022 and the deal was put together in 2023. When their last three-year lease ended in 2023, their landlord offered them a year-to-year lease, so they had an extra year to prepare their move. Reminiscing about the last 30 years, Corrigan expressed his gratitude to his landlord and his neighbors, the No Name Saloon, on Main Street.

Creating new options while keeping some old favorites

“Our idea never was to have a queue outside,” Corrigan said. In the new place they are going from a capacity of 100 to 365 people, with a potential of up to 600. All the bartenders from O’Shucks will be moving to The White House location on June 1. “We have the greatest bar staff. They stay forever,” Corrigan said. They have a horseshoe bar seating 36 people on the ground floor. The original O’Shucks bar will be disassembled and rebuilt in the upstairs area, which also has a full-sized stage and has drawn a steady stream of private events. All the bathrooms are brand new.

Local Tuesdays continue

When they started Local Tuesdays in 1994 one pound of hamburger meat cost $0.99, now it is $4.99 and the price of a keg of beer has increased sixfold. O’Shucks never changed their prices. They still sell $3 burgers and $3 schooners on Tuesday Locals Night. Even though folks who lived on Main Street, in Old town, don’t live there anymore, they still want the ones who work there to be able to afford a drink and a meal.

Since the White House location also includes Ahh Sushi and b&D’s, it is open for breakfast until 1 p.m. and is looking forward to serving meals on the patio when the weather breaks.

Getting ready for the next 30 years

“With the new location, we feel like we are Old Town’s welcoming committee. It was an eyesore, we’ve reclaimed it. We feel like we are going to be in the center of the energy,” Corrigan said. “The Olympics is a big motivator for us moving there. We were on Main Street, in the center of the celebration during the 2002 Olympics, and our Salt Lake location was in the center of everything in Salt Lake City. We are excited to take the energy down the hill.”

Watch for the Grand Opening celebration in June

“We have been a big part of the community for a long time, and our community investments will only grow,” Corrigan affirmed. “Just last week we had the Ecker Hill band playing here. We are big supporters of the local schools.” They expect to celebrate their move in June. Watch for announcements.