PHOTO PROVIDED Staff of Mother Carol’s LLC dba Bob’s Tavern, 111 W. Central Ave., Avis march in a parade.

As the old song goes, everyone is looking for that one place where everybody knows their name, and according to owner and operator Matthew Mann, Mother Carol’s LLC dba Bob’s Tavern, 111 W. Central Ave., Avis, is just that place.

The business was founded in 1976 as Bob’s Tavern by Mann’s father, Bob, who had previously delivered snacks for Frito-Lay, and decided he wanted to be proprietor himself.

When his mother and father later divorced, the former couple split everything 50/50, with Bob taking the house and Mann’s mother, Carol, taking the business.

Following Carol’s passing, Mann created Mother Carol’s LLC and added it to the name, originally managing it with his two brothers, Robert and Mark, until buying them out three years ago.

“Everyone knew it as Bob’s Tavern, but when anyone asked about going, they’d say ‘hey, let’s go to Carol’s,” Mann said.

“I would always help my mom out. When I was a kid, she would pay me a weekly allowance to go downstairs and clean the bar on Sundays, and when I was old enough, I would bar tend for her, on and off, when she needed some help,” he said.

Mann describes the tavern as a “beer garden,” offering a number of beer, malt and non-alcoholic drinks, along with frozen fried foods, including pizza.

“We have this Tony’s pizza oven, that is probably as old as me, and I’m 55, and it just makes these frozen pizzas perfect nearly every time,” he said.

“It’s just like the old hole in the wall, a little dive bar,” Mann said.

“It’s just clean and wonderful with great people. It’s a very family-friendly oriented bar. We deeply care for our friends and customers,” he said.

The tavern also holds special events throughout the year, including their famous three ball pool tournament, where all pool balls are wracked and the number of shots it takes to clear the table are counted.

“It works like golf, where the person with the lowest score at the end wins,” Mann explained.

“It’s such a neat tournament that my mom started years ago, and my mom absolutely loved the Olympics, so I had these podiums made, and I started meddling the first, second, and third winners, and then I gave an award for last place, called the ‘You Suck Award,'” he said with a laugh.

While some profanity is expected at a business of this type, Mann said his team is keenly aware of not letting situations get out of hand.

“Two of my team members don’t even drink alcohol, and they’re some of my best people, and it’s just amazing that they feel that comfortable and confident that they can be in there and not be pressured or anything like that, because my team won’t tolerate it,” he said.

“And if someone gets a little belligerent, we’re gonna let them know,” Mann stressed.

Additionally, all employees are Responsible Alcohol Management Program (RAMP) certified to ensure that everyone visiting the tavern has a great time, but also makes it home safely.

“They are just amazing people. They take care of the day to day stuff, and I take care of all the managerial and ordering, and so forth. But if one person’s sick, they’re the first one to jump in and say, ‘hey, I’ll help out, I’ll take her shift,’ he said.

“I ask everyone, ‘do you want to talk to the man in charge or the woman that knows what’s going on,” he said with a laugh.

To help show his appreciation, Mann treats his team to a Hiawatha wing night cruise night each year.

“When I’m taking care of things first thing in the morning, I’ll put an extra little tip in the tip jar, just as something to start their day out on a positive,” he added.

Equally important is making a positive impact on the community.

“I’ve ran cancer benefits through the tavern, where we’ve helped two people who were both my team members at one point, and I’ve allowed the Avis Fire Company to come in to do rip tickets, we’ve made basket donations for other families that are having pool tournaments, even in other establishments,” Mann said.

The building itself is steeped in rich history for Mann, including living with his mom in the apartment above the tavern following his parents’ divorce.

“My mother would open up at 7 a.m. to the steel mill workers who would come in after work, and I would come downstairs, and my mother would say, “now, will you guys behave. Here comes my son,” he said.

“They would shake my hand and give me high fives, and one person in particular, his name is Jim Bob, my mother would have a pack of tea berry gum and a Flintstone’s vitamin sitting in the edge of the bar for me. He would always hand it to me and say, ‘you grow up big and strong now,’ and he still comes in today and we share that same story and other fun stories,” Mann said.

Mann also recalls riding his BMX bike through the hallway as the workers held the door open for him to ride down the steps and off to school.

Even before the divorce, Mann’s mother would sometimes take him to the tavern to watch Saturday morning cartoons, as she served up beer-battered blueberry pancakes, a recipe his daughter made her own by using Busch Light Apple.

With the tavern’s 50th anniversary in sight, Mann has been busy preparing for a celebration to honor not only its history, but the lasting impact his mom has left on it, the community and himself.

“On Friday, September 11, we’re going to close down the alley and have a karaoke celebration and the next day, we’re having two bands, Flu Shots and Fleegor, and my buddy, Shane Barnes, who has Pappy’s Barbecue, will be smoking up some delicious meats out front,” he said.

“I’m really looking forward to this celebration for my team, our community, our establishment and my mom’s legacy, of course,” Mann said.

“I believe in carrying on my mother’s legacy because my mom was very, very well loved and cared about in our area and community, and when I hear stories of people saying, ‘Matt, your mom was just such an amazing lady, I really appreciate that, so to carry on her legacy in a way that we’re doing an honest business is really important to me,” he said.

For more information on Mother Carol’s LLC dba Bob’s Tavern, check out their Facebook page.