Loose Moose Grub & Pub hopes to recreate the past to construct a tasty, entertaining future

by John Benson

Longtime Sagamore Hills resident Bill Regan has spent his life happily working in the distribution side of the food industry.

However, it wasn’t until the recent closing of the Black Rose Tavern in Sagamore Square Shopping Center that he decided the time was right to step out from behind the scenes and provide his hometown with something not only special but, he’s hoping, quite familiar.

“I moved to Sagamore 20 years ago,” Regan said. “We used to go to the Loose Moose all the time. It was a nice place. After it closed … the old Loose Moose location became a Mexican restaurant and then the Black Rose Tavern, which closed in April.

“So an opportunity came up. At that time I remembered The Cannery restaurant. That place did very well. So what I’m just trying to do is basically pull both those two together into one little unit and have the best of both worlds.”

The Loose Moose Grub & Pub will offer home-style food similar to The Cannery, along with entertainment, like the live music at the original Loose Moose.

Joining Regan in the business is his sister Andrea Pappas and her husband, Yianni. The couple owns 49 Street Tavern in Cuyahoga Heights, and Yianni has more than 40 years of experience in the food industry, including as a master chef.

Food-wise, Regan envisions the Loose Moose Grub & Pub going beyond typical bar food offerings, making the W. Aurora Road location a destination for patrons looking for something special.

“We’re going to have a lot of different specials,” Regan said. “Our main menu will be handmade appetizers, authentic gyros and a lot of pita pockets with different things inside. We’ll also have steaks and pastas on the menu. We will have bar food, but a lot of it is going to be upscale.”

Regan said he wants to cater directly to those folks responsible for the craft-beer zeitgeist.

“We’re going to have at least 80 beers: domestic, IPAs and microbrews,” he said. “We’re also going to feature 14 taps on draft.”

The 4,800-square foot Loose Moose Grub & Pub will be large enough to host roughly 175 and was scheduled to open in early November.

“As you can see from the Facebook page, people are really excited,” Regan said “Already we have over 100 likes and we’re not even open yet.”

 

Featured image photo caption: The Loose Moose Grub & Pub will open in the former Black Rose in the Sagamore Square Shopping Center.