Celestina Blok
Special to the Business Press
After taking over management of the Oui Lounge on Bluebonnet Circle last year, Tim Love will end his ties with the longtime bar as well as close the Love Shack location he opened inside the former Caro’s space next door.
“It was a mutual decision,” said Kyle Poulson, a local real estate professional who holds part ownership in the Oui Lounge and Love Shack real estate on the circle. “The ownership, the management group and Tim had a different idea of the direction.”
Poulson says Love and the ownership group split on good terms and a new, casual eatery will fill the former Love Shack space. An announcement is expected by early July.
“We’re in talks with a real prominent casual diner that I think a lot of the people will be excited with,” Poulson said.
Regarding the Oui Lounge, the longtime neighborhood dive bar that Love aimed to revamp with a 70’s vibe, a local bar management group called 3509 Consulting will take over operations beginning July 1. Glen Keely, who owns Poag Mahone’s Irish Pub on Carroll St. near W. 7th St., is head of the consulting group and will lead management of the Oui.
“Obviously we can’t go back to what it was,” said Keely, referring to the atmosphere of the Oui Lounge before Love’s management team took over. “All of the walls are gone now, but we’re trying to get the energy back and make it the place that it was – which was a great neighborhood bar with a real TCU feel to it. We’re hoping to make it more attractive to your every day customers.”
Keely says he will lower drink prices and provide more specials geared toward Texas Christian University game days. He also plans to change the furniture and add a patio.
“Our goal is to be ready August 15 when the kids are back in school,” he said.
Long term plans include eventually merging the Oui Lounge and former Love Shack space into one large venue with a horseshoe-shaped bar that connects both sites. The Oui Lounge, first opened in 1952, is located at 3509 Bluebonnet Circle.