New ‘neighborhood bar’ opens in Johnson County, replacing longtime Irish tavern
Outside 9148 Santa Fe Drive in Overland Park, signs featuring beer and burgers advertise newly opened Becks Place — a bar with a full menu of brews, cocktails and entrees.
But many customers have already been inside for drinks. For the past 12 years, the space has been home to McGuire’s Tavern, an Irish pub with a crowd of devoted regulars.
McGuire’s former owner was ready to move on after a few health-related concerns, said new co-owner Lisa Beck.
She and husband Bob bought the space earlier this year and opened it this month. Some things are similar to McGuire’s, like its staff and several menu items. But in other ways, the couple are making the hangout their own.
Inside, formerly black and green window trims have been painted white. More TVs create a sports bar feel, and Lisa said they plan to add a jumbo screen, perfect for viewing Chiefs wins.
“Bob and I have Chiefs season tickets, and both of us were very athletic in school, so there’s always going to be some sport on,” Lisa said.
Becks Place’s signature item is its maple bourbon chicken sandwich, a maple-soaked fried chicken sandwich topped with bacon and provolone. New dessert items include a salted caramel brownie and carrot cake.
“Everything is made here,” Lisa said. “So when you get chips and salsa, it’s right out of the fryer, which is wonderful.”
The two purchased the space in April, but they’d been wanting to open a bar for close to a decade.
The Becks eyed McGuire’s eight years ago when its original owner was looking to sell, but they decided it wasn’t the right time to buy. Their oldest was about to go off to college, and they knew they’d be spending a chunk of their time traveling.
Fast forward to today: The Becks are combining their restaurant experience — Bob as a Denny’s franchiser and Lisa as a bartender.
Several of McGuire’s die-hard fans have become regulars at their new place, and so have the newbies, who saw the signs go up and decided to give Becks a try.
“They’ve been very supportive,” Lisa said.
Opening hasn’t been without a few hiccups, of course, and includes 15- to 16-hour days, at the moment.
Getting everything lined up to have their liquor license in time for opening day was a struggle, too, Lisa said. Needing to go ahead and turn a profit, the Becks opened their place a week before their liquor license came through, only serving food. They didn’t expect much.
But people showed up, ordering food and bringing their own beverages to share, 20-somethings handing out drinks to middle-aged patrons.
And they came back the next night, and the next.
“I just love the people — the stories that they have in a short amount of time, and they act like we’ve known each other for years,” Lisa said. “We want to be that friendly neighborhood bar where everybody knows everybody. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a stranger, or you’ve been coming here for 10 years.”
Becks is open from 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays to Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.