SPACE FOR ALL. The Rally House Sports Bar is aiming for an early fall opening, offering seating fit to accommodate large groups and space for darts tournaments and more.

A building that has housed several bar-and-grill joints is officially opening up again  after sitting vacant since last summer, thanks to local Bryce Smetana and the soon-to-open Rally House Sports Bar.

Most recently home to The Rumor Mill, the building – 465 Chippewa Mall Drive, Chippewa Falls – has been empty since last summer when the business closed. Sharing a parking lot with the several other businesses located in or near the neighboring strip mall – including Micon Cinemas Chippewa Falls, Topper’s Pizza, Bargain City, and others – locals have been waiting to see what may fill the space next.

After working a job near the then-empty building, Smetana had a view of it, which sparked some ideas. “I started brainstorming, like, what would I do there?” he recalled. “I’ve got a pretty good network and I’m pretty social, and figured a decent sit-down place with enough seating to accommodate plenty of people (would be a positive addition). So, I talked to the ownership group and they were willing to work with me on things.”

In the midst of renovations inside and furnishing the back outdoor patio, Smetana has teased some photos of the space on Facebook, including renovations that opened up the bar area and additions of several TVs. One of the major changes includes two walls torn out for more flow.

“We pretty much pulled out two walls that had closed off the space a little bit,” Smetana explained. “Now there’s a more open concept, and over the bar area too.”

Smetana did not wish to name a specific opening date, but he said Rally House will open early this fall.

Smetana said Rally House Sports Bar will also have a small menu with burgers, pizza, wings, appetizers, and a couple of salad options, alongside the full-service bar.

One of Smetana’s main ideas was to offer another place for folks to go, no matter what size their group is, keeping in mind the local culture in youth sports. “I have tables set up for every size party whether it’s a party of two, a party of six, eight, 12, 14. … I’ve got a table available for the size,” he said. “My thought behind that was, with all the youth local sports that happen here in town, if there’s a tournament and the team wants to go out somewhere, I’ve got room for them and parents.”

Though Smetana does not have previous business ownership experience, he does have about five years of experience working in the kitchen and another few years as a bartender, as well as a background with game machines and running darts tournaments – a main offering the establishment will feature.

“I’m pretty heavy into the darts scene, running a lot of tournaments around Chippewa, and I’ve seen what those tournaments do (for business),” he said.

After getting a liquor license and receiving the go-ahead from the City of Chippewa Falls to get to work on Rally House, Smetana was most nervous about staffing. However, that turned out not to be an issue, nor did he have a problem getting ahold of vendors. People were reaching out to him left and right, looking for work or to offer their services. Now, with a waitstaff that will include both experienced servers and first-timers, Smetana is working on finishing touches, renovations, and scheduling.

Another concern was the parking lot the business uses, which is shared by a bunch of businesses in the strip mall’s area. To help remedy the potential parking issues, there is an “Immediate Seating” sign on Rally House.

“If the parking lot looks full, there might be a lot of people at the movie theater or other businesses, and I don’t want people to think there is no space here (if there is),” Smetana said. “If the ‘Immediate Seating’ sign is on, there is space available, even if the parking lot looks full.” He is hoping to secure some designated parking spaces for the bar, but the sign will be used to alert customers of space inside.

Smetana did not wish to name a specific opening date, but he said Rally House will open early this fall.

The 'Immediate Seating' sign will be on if there is seating available.

Keep up with The Rally House Sports Bar (465 Chippewa Mall Drive, Chippewa Falls) on its Facebook page.