Dave Oholendt is owner of The Tavern, a family-owned bar and grill near the Duke campus. The Tavern has it all: from drinks and food to pool tables and arcade games and large-screen TVs. Oholendt said he and his staff want to provide a safe and fun environment for the Durham community.

The Durham Voice: Tell me what makes Durham so special and the right place for this bar and grill.

Dave Oholendt: I’ve lived in Durham for many years, and it used to be known as “Dirty Durham.” The progression over the last decade has been phenomenal. That’s exactly why we opened the tavern, and why we built it to the size we did. We can be here for the people.

Whenever there’s a power outage, we get calls, and before you know it, the place fills up with neighbors looking for a warm or cool space, depending on the time of the year. It’s always been a fun thing and people know us for that. It shows that we are here for you guys. We keep the doors open, we keep it safe, and the people here are just awesome. They’re open to new things, and that’s what makes this community so special.

What does The Tavern do to stand out against new and upcoming businesses?

Well, it is tough. It’s a constantly changing game, and if you’re not changing, you’ll get passed by. But we are. We’re a sports bar, a dive bar, and a college bar – we touch on a lot of categories. Plus, we provide entertainment. We have karaoke, DJs, pool tables, darts, air hockey, foosball, and pinball – providing something to do rather than just sitting down. And, plus there’s the food. So, it’s a constant changing of products, seasonal offerings, and just keeping up with the times.

Who is your target audience? How do you attract and serve that specific audience?

Our target audience changes as the day goes on. So, at 2 p.m., it is the neighborhood guys. Around 3 and 4 p.m. you start getting the work crew that’s getting off and coming in. We have a lot of great regulars that make the afternoon a lot of fun. As the night goes on, the age demographic goes down and we start getting full of college kids. So, getting people in here is a lot of word of mouth and just standing the test of time which can be hard in this area. 

Tell us about the Duke and UNC rivalry game and how The Tavern markets for that.

The Duke-Carolina games are insane. We literally have to stop people at the door because of capacity, making it a one-in, one-out policy type of thing. There is normally a line out the door and wrapping around 9th Street.

Typically, we don’t take reservations at all. If you want a seat, you have to get here an hour or two before the game and hope there is a place for you. It’s always a great time and a great rivalry. Whether you’re a Carolina or Duke fan, we keep it clean and fun. Even if one team isn’t ranked, they always bring their best for this matchup. It’s usually not a blowout and always a nail-biter and a lot of fun.

What item do you feel is underrated on your menu?

I think the most underrated part is probably the food. We’ve got wings, cheesesteaks, burgers and bar food. As I mentioned before, there are no windows, so if you’re just driving by, you’re not going to see the food or even see how many people are inside.

You wouldn’t know there are two or three hundred people here because you just can’t tell from the outside. Most of our customers walk here, live nearby, or take an Uber, so even if the parking lot looks empty, we could be packed.

What were the kind of obstacles you had to overcome to keep the business running when making the switch from Chapel Hill to Durham?

We had some learning curves getting started. When we moved The Tavern about eight miles from its original location, we thought a lot of our business would transfer over. It really didn’t.

Durham has a high turnover ratio. We’ve been here longer than most. Sixteen years in this location and I’ve seen 80% of businesses come and go. There’s always buzz around the new thing downtown, but not the guys who have been here holding the test of time. New places get a lot of business, and then after four or five months, it’s back to the regular spots you know.

What are your goals for the next five years?

I’d say continue to grow. Continue to grow our staff and their education about drinks and drink service. We always try to have consistency with our drink orders. So, if you order it from one person, it’s going to be the same as if you order it from a different person.

Beyond that, just making sure we’re running a safe establishment is always key as things continue to change. It’s important to keep up with new products that people are looking for, which is a constant goal to stay up on because it’s ever-changing.

Also providing a safe work environment. We’ve really helped out a lot of our staff since they started working here. We want to make sure that they are in a much better place in life than they were before they started here.

What is something you would like to share about your business that people would want to know?

Well, we’re here for everybody. It’s a family-owned business. My wife and I are the only partners, and not a lot of places are like that. Usually, there’s a conglomerate, or multiple partners, or even a law firm that wants to try out the restaurant business.

But I was born and raised in the restaurant business, and I just want to continue that for my family and continue the tradition of the tavern. We’ve been around for a long time, and we want to keep it that way. It’s a down-to-earth place with good people. You’re always going to meet somebody fun here and you should always feel safe here.