A Leelanau County institution and one of northern Michigan’s most popular restaurants has new owners.

Paul and Barbara Olson are set to close today on the purchase of Art’s Tavern, which has served customers in the heart of Glen Arbor for more than 90 years. They’re taking over for Tim Barr and Bonnie Nescot, who owned and ran the legendary eatery since 2000.

The Olsons, known for their many years at Mission Table on Old Mission Peninsula, will be only the fourth owners since Art Sheridan first opened his doors in 1934. Though the Olsons will remain connected to Mission Table and its parent company for the time being, they are purchasing Art’s by themselves.

Barr and the Olsons have known each other for years, with the Olsons being regular customers of Art’s for decades (they celebrated their engagement there in 1992 and enjoyed countless late night bugers and beers, Paul Olson says). Barr was impressed with the Olsons’ culinary and management experience, temperament and enthusiasm – everything he was looking for in someone to take the reins.

“The shoe just fit all the way around,” Barr tells The Ticker.

It was Barr who approached Paul Olson in late August looking to sell. Olson had joked with Barr for years about buying “the bar,” but this chat was no laughing matter.

“He’s like, ‘I want you to buy the bar’ and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Where do I sign?” Olson tells The Ticker. “I was super interested…it’s an icon.”

Barr and Nescot have been “above and beyond” gracious as the two parties worked to iron out all of the details over the past several months, Olson says. The restaurant is closed for some cleaning this week but will reopen Wednesday for the first time under Olson ownership.

Olson gave high praise to Barr and Nescot’s careful stewardship of the restaurant over the last quarter century, and he said he’s not looking to fix what isn’t broken. If anything, changes will amount to periodic menu augmentations to spice things up.

“In the fall, maybe I’ll do some menu tweaks. We’re not changing the onion rings, we’re not changing the burger. The place is a machine built on fresh ground burger every day, and I’m not messing with that,” he said. “But I think there’s some opportunity in the offseason to do some special nights – short rib Thursdays or something – just to give the locals something (different).”

Olson is also not changing that famous no credit card policy, something that gives Barr comfort.

“When I asked him about credit cards and he said no, I knew I had picked the right person,” Barr says.

As it turns out, Barr and Nescot are selling about five or six years later than they originally envisioned. They had it all set up to sell shortly before a global pandemic nuked those plans, Barr says.

“We had all of our ducks in a row and then COVID happened, so we just had to maintain,” he says. “My wife did a wonderful job getting government grants and stuff keeping our head above water, and then a year or two later we got back to thinking about selling.”

Barr is ready to be done with the grind (“I’m 73 and I just want to go fishing,” he says) but he leaves with many, many special memories from a place where he spent about half of his life.

Art’s has always been a place that genuinely appeals to everyone, Barr says, and that’s what’s given it such a great reputation over the years. Barr met “everybody under the sun” in his time there.

“It’s always just had a real comfortable atmosphere,” he says. “I don’t care what class of person you are…everyone is welcome.”

Barr started work there in 1986 before buying it 14 years later, and his big, bearded presence was deeply appreciated by employees and customers for decades. But he wasn’t and isn’t Art, even though thousands of people over the years made that assumption.

“If I had a nickel for every time somebody asked me that, I wouldn’t have had to sell the place,” Barr says. “And I always thought it was real funny when someone would come to the door and tell the door person ‘I know Art – just let us in – I’m good friends with Art.’ Well, he died.”

Barr says he's deeply grateful to everyone who’s patronized the restaurant during his ownership.

"I just have to thank them all," he says.

Photo insets: Barbara and Paul Olson, Tim Barr