Mill Street Sports Pub
Mill Street Sports Pub
New restaurant to open in former Finnerty’s Tap Room mid-December
Owners Brenda Smith & Audrey Snow. Photos / Jessica Schultz, ellicottvilleNOW
Few things are more exciting for local football fans than the final weeks of the NFL’s regular season, and adding to that excitement is a new place to enjoy the games! Brenda Smith and Audrey Snow are planning for a mid-December opening date for their brand-new business, Mill Street Sports Pub, located in the former Finnerty’s Tap Room at 1 Mill Street in Ellicottville. “We have a good team behind us, so it’s been very exciting,” said Smith, who, along with Snow, has been part of the Ellicottville bar/restaurant scene for many years.
Both Smith and Snow worked for Bill Finnerty at Finnerty’s Tap Room, but both have years of experience outside of the Mill Street pub that they are bringing to this new venture. “I’ve been in the bar/restaurant business for a very long time,” said Smith. “I started in 1982 at the original Gin Mill. My main career was a nurse, but where I made my money was the bar/restaurant scene.”
After leaving Finnerty’s Tap Room in 2021, Snow traveled to work in the bar/event business, including PGA tournaments, the Kentucky Derby, and more. She returned to Ellicottville and worked at 12 Gates, where she opened their restaurant, and she’s excited to be working together with Smith again.
Bill Finnerty is pleased to see the pair opening their own business in his former tap room, which he ran successfully for several years, including during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Finnerty, he was approached by his business partner and the building owner in November of 2021 about selling Finnerty’s Tap Room. Despite financial stability and a strong post-Covid recovery, Finnerty agreed to the sale, though he was concerned about the timing of the business transition. Assured that the new owner, an experienced restaurateur, was going to make significant investments into the business, Finnerty and his partner finalized the sale at the end of 2021. It soon became clear, however, that promised financial investments were not made, and the business’s financial performance declined beginning in 2022. “Eventually, the new owner was evicted from the building and the tap room closed.”
Upon hearing this news, Smith contacted Ellicott Development, the building owner, and “started the ball rolling there,” she said. “That was several months ago, and I didn’t know if I could do it,” Smith recalled. Snow said, “I reached out to Brenda because I was really willing to offer my help.”
“We got talking, and it just happened,” said Smith. “We’ve always supported each other, and it’s been very exciting!”
Though Finnerty was saddened by how the reputation of Finnerty’s was negatively affected by the former business owner, he is optimistic that Smith and Snow are going to do well. “They’re going to do great, and it’s going to be fun,” he said of the pair. “They’ve got the right attitude and they’re looking at it with open eyes. They’ve got the knowledge of the building, and I’ve told them all of my mistakes, so they’ve got that knowledge, too!”
Currently, Smith and Snow are awaiting their liquor license, and in the meantime are busy planning for their mid-December opening. Mill Street Sports Pub will eventually have 22 taps, a full liquor bar, beer, and cider. Patrons can look forward to delicious “pub grub,” including home-cooked meals such as chicken and biscuits, shepherd’s pie, fish fry, chicken wings, burgers, and more. “It’s going to be pub food, but really good food, like something you’d eat at Mom’s house,” said Snow. Smith added, “We’re planning to bring the Reuben meatballs back and our corned beef. It’s going to be good food, good service, reasonable prices, and just a place where families can come in or people can be at the bar. People are going to be comfortable here and feel like they’re part of the family! We want a local vibe here, but not just for locals - for everybody - like you’ve come to Mom’s house for dinner! We want our patrons to feel like that.”
Snow, who noted that a lot of local people call Smith “Mom,” said the pair is having fun brainstorming ideas and events and advised the community to keep an eye out for the business’s Facebook page this week. Smith, a Rotarian and member of the Chamber of Commerce, is excited for the business to be active in the community and is hopeful that the health department will clear them to open in time for Breakfast with Santa. Snow added, “We’ll be doing music, have a late night menu, and we’d like to bring back trivia nights. We’re just really looking forward to it!”