Tell us a bit about yourself and your business.
Paying homage to the Mudlick Distillery, Mudlick Tap House started in a small town with a humble concept: craft beer, scratch foods, and a unique atmosphere. In 1847, Pioneer Christian Rohrer settled in Montgomery County’s Twin Creek Valley and built his distillery on the banks of Mudlick Creek. What made the secret recipe Mudlick Whiskey so tasty was the mineral-rich waters of the Mudlick Springs from which it was distilled.
Mudlick Tap House is a “gastropub,” pouring high-end beer and cocktails served with chef-inspired food. We are all about getting back to the best type of cuisine… food made from scratch. Our culinary creations are regional variations of traditional pub and tavern fare. We’ve created an inviting, industrial, rustic space with our sleek stainless steel countertop bar, exposed brick walls, and handmade wooden tables that lend to an intimate and comfortable dining experience sure to become your favorite spot for good company and good libations.
What made you decide to open your own small business and how long have you been in operation?
It was a running joke, after a year of running AleFest, that we needed somewhere to unload the leftover beer so we should open a little carryout and growler fill station! Well, we all know that it would not be legal to resell leftover beer from AleFest, but it did spark an idea and aim to fill a gap in a little historic town that lacked a place to get good beer. The right place and the right time and BAM, in 2014 we opened up a little pub that vowed to serve the best and most unique craft beer available. The little Tap House was a hit and it evolved quickly as we added food options and all of a sudden we were a restaurant! We quickly outgrew our little historic house in a small town and jumped on the opportunity to relocate to our beloved Gem City in 2017.
What do you enjoy about working in downtown Dayton?
We love the local residents. We are lucky enough to be located within a short walk of many of the downtown neighborhoods, condos, and apartments, and the connections that have been made with these people are priceless. Our team has made some great connections and formed some great friendships.
Tell us something about your business that may surprise people to learn.
The only freezer we have in the building is a small reach in for our Madisono’s Gelato! When we say we are scratch, we mean it! Our product is prepared fresh from scratch on a daily basis. We use local as much as we can, but let’s be real, we live in Ohio, so we can’t rely on product year round from our local folks. Coming from a family full of farmers I feel strongly about a family farm is a family farm whether you are farming in Ohio or in Idaho and we need to support these entities across the country in order to build food systems that are sustainable and robust in the long term.
Our tagline includes “Mindfully Sourced” and we are very passionate about that. Our food purveyor really helps us navigate their products and the vendor to assure that we are being mindful about our sourcing. In mindful sourcing, as consumers seek more information and expect greater degrees of transparency, they are becoming more mindful about their food choices. Mindful sourcing includes wanting to know what is in their food in order to make the most informed decisions that may be influenced by health, environmental or ethical issues.
How is your business coping with the pandemic and how can people support you now?
While the current environment and situation is definitely not ideal for any business, our industry has suffered excruciating blows. Our employees can’t work remotely and are at greater risk due to their interaction and contact with the public. However, we have built a foundation to get through this together and often remind each other to be mindful of your activities outside of work and how they can potentially impact their co-workers. We are lucky to have a tight-knit group that genuinely respects each other and pulls together to deliver an incredible dining experience in the most challenging of times. We encourage people to continue supporting your local restaurants by dining in if you are comfortable! If you are being a bit more cautious, we offer contactless delivery (within a set radius) and also offer curbside take away! So keep on supporting in the way that makes you most comfortable.
Mudlick Tap House
135 E. Second St.
www.mudlicktaphouse.com
937-895-4066
facebook.com/mudlicktaphouse
Instagram: @mudlicktaphouse
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