For Jason Mitchell, the proprietor of Haab's Barrel House, its been a circuitous path to downtown Ypsilanti.
Before Mitchell retired and got into distilling, he was an HVAC mechanic. That was why the belt pulley and driveshaft fans hanging over the bar and kitchen area caught his eye through the window.
"The fans were the only thing we could see, but it sold us on it," Mitchell said.
After his retirement, Mitchell's interest in distilling led to him owning and operating Distillery Livonia, alongside partners Katie Nelson and Mike Nelson. However, when circumstance had them looking for somewhere to relocate, Mitchell and his partners looked to Ypsilanti and found Haab's Restaurant.
"We didn't know until we got more involved, how intertwined Haab's is with the community," Mitchell said. "And when they were asking us what we were gonna do with it, that's when the idea came up- why not save it?"
The group decided to reopen for business under the name Haab's Barrel House, breathing fresh air into the building that had served the community for 87 years, from 1934 to 2022, while putting their own twist on things.
The Barrel House has been working to bring back as much of the 1932 Haab's as possible, including some of the booths and other items that were auctioned off, but are also changing for a new crowd.
Some of the favorites from Haab's original menu are making a comeback in addition to the furniture. Former owner Mike Kabat helped the new owners get in contact with some of the old suppliers, including the proprietary breading for the fried chicken that had been served for 77 years. However, Mitchell and the kitchen staff are also putting a smoker they acquired from Michigan State University to work as they plan on marrying some of the items from their old restaurant together.
So far they've tried using their cold smoke and marinating process used for their chicken wings on the classic fried chicken. The smoker has also allowed the restaurant to experiment with new items, like a brisket pizza and a smoked corned beef sandwich. They plan to add those items to the menu in the coming weeks.
The biggest change to the menu has been the addition of the vegan and vegetarian menu. Most of the meal items on the menu are $15 or less, making it budget friendly.
Mitchell and his partners are also currently floating the idea of using one of the walls in the bar dining space as a "living gallery" for local artists to display and sell their artwork. The Barrel House has also added a karaoke bar and offers a tasting room where they'll have their own spirits under the "Leaky Still" brand. Haab's is also still looking to hire staff, as they continue to open and expand their business.
