Owners Nancy and Mike Dulek installed new flooring, did some painting, cleaning and a few other touch-ups. There are six new high-top tables and chairs. Other changes are planned in the future.

“We have a lot more to do with this place,” she said. “The booth we preserved, because that’s a part of the past.”

The bar, which they purchased in 2022, has a rich history in the Town of Florence. The site was the former Tully’s Opera House. Matt and Emaline “Babe” Meress operated Matt’s Tavern on the site starting in 1941. After a fire Nov. 11, 1946, they converted the bar into a one-story building, adding a 52-foot knotty pine bar — the longest in Florence County at that time — and back bar, a kitchen and tables. They were well known for their Friday night fish fries.

In 1963, they sold the bar to Matt Kennedy and it retained the name. It was later known as Justy’s, the Black Bear and became the Tavern on Central in 2012.

The Tavern on Central in Florence, Wis., had new flooring installed and also sanded the railings on the bar and added a new foot rest to the bottom of the bar. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

It has been managed by Dana Beck for almost nine years.

In May they will unveil a new menu. One item already announced is a steak sandwich. They serve broasted chicken on Thursdays and Sundays, have introduced a mashed potato bowl for the weekends and now sell Dina Mia’s frozen pizzas.

They are well known for their loaded bloody Marys. This year they plan to serve a Mother’s Day Buffet.

Nancy Dulek didn’t want to reveal too much about the new menu but said they are “just going with the trends — the food trends.”

She revived the popular street dance that had been held for many years outside the bar. Another addition that’s caught on is music bingo.

The bar and restaurant that is now the Tavern on Central has been a fixture in the town of Florence, Wis., since the 1940s. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

“We brought that in on Mondays. That’s been a hit. It took awhile for it to take off but now it’s awesome,” Beck said.

Nancy Dulek also has a bar-restaurant in Kenosha County, the Village Pub of Silver Lake, leasing part of the American Legion building in the village of Salem Lakes, Wis. She runs the Kenosha County senior lunch program and the county’s Flip Flops Concession Stand at Silver Lake Park Beach as well.

She is originally from Florence, but they moved to the Silver Lake area in 1999. “It’s all different down there, a whole different atmosphere,” Dulek said.

Lack of snow in recent years has made for some rough winters, business-wise, for the Tavern on Central.

“In the last few years the snowmobiling season has been horrible. We rely on the snowmobilers,” Dulek said, explaining the bar is listed on signs on the trails.

Owner Mike Dulek puts together one of the new chairs at the Tavern on Central in Florence, Wis. They purchased six new tall tables and 24 chairs. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

“We see a lot of the same people. A lot of tourists, a lot of people who have camps up here,” Beck added. “We rely a lot on the trails. The two years we didn’t have snow, that was not too good. We welcome all the tourists.”

Both also worked at Dina Mia’s Restaurant next door. Dulek, who got her start in the food industry when she was 14 years old at the Goodman Clubhouse, put in 15 years at Dina Mia’s, while Beck was there for five years before coming to the Tavern.

“I’ve always liked bartending. I’ve met some of my very best friends doing this job. We have friends that come from California during hunting season, we always make sure we go to a Packers game. I just like conversions and the socialization part,” Beck said.

They serve food daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., but the bar stays open later depending on customers. They are closed on Wednesdays. The bar is at 500 Central Ave. They can be reached at 715-528-2020 or through their Facebook page.

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One of the new high tables at the Tavern on Central in Florence, Wis. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.