New owner says upgrades coming to Pour Haus

The Pour Haus in Washington Twp. has a new owner who is planning several upgrades to the sports bar and pub at 536 Miamisburg-Centerville Road.

Mark Rothwell of Butler Twp., who was affiliated with Little York Tavern for 11 years, purchased the Pour Haus three weeks ago. Multiple improvements are in the works, the new owner said.

“We will start with a standard remodel, with new floors, upgraded paneling, and some repairs to the bar,” Rothwell said. “We will upgrade the kitchen, install a hood and a flat-top grill and a fryer. We want to serve top-of-the-line bar food. And we will bring in some top-shelf bourbons” to the nearly two dozen beer taps, most devoted to craft brews.

Plans also call for adding some live music and D Js, as well as karaoke and trivia nights.

Rothwell, who loves to hunt and fish, said he will introduce an outdoor theme that will give the bar a bit of a lodge feel. “We will still be a hometown sports bar, but it will have more of an outdoor tone,” he said.

Rothwell served as general manager of the Little York Tavern in Butler Twp. for several years, and before that, he oversaw a Little York Tavern Pizza franchise operation in Franklin from 1995-2001.

“I wanted to get back into the business and work for myself,” Rothwell said about his decision to purchase the Pour Haus.

Rothwell has no intention of renaming the pub. “Everybody knows the Pour Haus name,” he said.

The space has housed a sports pub for decades, with names such as Screamers and The Ritz, and it has morphed into JD’s Pour Haus by the mid-1990s. It changed hands a few times until 2012, when it was purchased by Jerry Gordon and Joe Lakatos, who maintained ownership until selling it to Rothwell a few weeks ago.