by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
The last thing Riverside needs is another bar. Or does it?
In an area saturated with drinking establishments, one family has decided to open another — Dir-T Suz-E’s Bar & Grill on King Street.
“We have three different crowds,” explained Suzie Comer, one of the five-member Comer family who operate the venue. “They come in waves. The crowd changes about every two hours. We have a good size dinner crowd, not just those that want to hang out and have a beer or eat an appetizer. When the sun goes down, a whole different breed comes out. They’re like vampires. Then the rowdy ones come in late at night. At any time there are 50 people here.”
Eileen Comer and her daughter Suzie are the driving force behind the operation. Speaking of driving, the entire tavern sports an automotive theme. The walls are decorated with hubcaps (some date back to 1948), gas pumps, racing flags, model cars, road signs, radiator grills and other car parts.
“We got cars from the junkyard and a lot of people brought in license plates,” said Suzie Comer, the bar’s namesake.
Traditional chairs were replaced with plush bucket seats from vans and street directionals were painted on the floor. Devin Wilson, a local artist, added a mural of a lonely highway behind the stage, which was created from a Buick Special by Eileen’s husband Jim. Portions of the vintage vehicle were sectioned off and wrapped around the stage area.
The bar and grill is across the street from another tavern, and will soon be neighbors with yet another drinking establishment next door.
So how do they plan to survive the competition?
“We offer something completely different,” said Suzie Comer. “We’re not in competition [with the others]. They help me out. There are enough customers to go around.”
“This part of town is popular for a bar,” added Eileen Comer. “The more businesses that open, the more it helps us. The people over there [at the bar across the street] order from us all the time. They’re helping to promote us by telling their customers about us.”
The bar offers a stage for karaoke, a singing waitstaff, trivia nights and a full kitchen. The grill serves authentic “street cuisine,” including chicken wings, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, steak and plantains and all sport an automotive theme. Currently, they serve only wine and beer, but a liquor license is in the works.
Not limiting themselves to a particular niche is what the Comers believe will make the venture a success.
“We have so many people come from so many races,” explained Eileen Comer. “We have a good variety of music. We even have music for the younger crowd.”
“We wanted to make it for everybody and have every age group in here,” added Suzie Comer. “We have people travel from the beach to come here and sing. As far as decent, cool places, there are not that many to choose from.”
The mother-daughter team, with help from Eileen’s son Will and his wife Didi, spent roughly $15,000 on repairs and decorations. The location had been vacant for two months before they purchased it.
Other modifications may include the addition of a jukebox, a possible lunch menu and reworking the patio. Dart tournaments may become part of the activities, too.
“As soon as we pulled the curtains back, people were coming in. We didn’t even tell people we were opening. It was all word-of-mouth,” said Eileen Comer.
“We’ve actually made a little profit and are starting to get regulars,” added Suzie Comer. “Things are starting to pick up. The people in here before didn’t put a lot into it. They didn’t take the time to make it a nice place. Lots of bars open up like that.”