15/08/2022
This is the last official post of Route 66 American Bar. After 8+ years, the doors have closed on this chapter of 66, and a new Irish Pub will be emerging. Most people knew a few months ago, but the original owners sold to a new group that has been running it the past few months, and getting acclimated to bar life, while they figure out their niche. Going to ramble on a for a bit, so bear with me.
66 was a dream come true. The only reason that dream was made possible was because of the love and support we received from so many people. There were so many wild nights, parties, banquets, hail and farewells, cook offs, fireworks, all night sports, wedding receptions, bachelor parties, euchre days, dart nights, fantasy drafts, darts tournaments, and Sunday Fundays, Super Bowl Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, food specials, and could go on for ages. I have so many phenomenal memories and times I wish I could remember a little bit better. When I first saw Cheers when I was a kid, I wanted that. And boy did I get it. The best compliment I could ever get was from all the folks that said that the bar was family, and walking in was like walking in the front door at home. Instead of "Hey Norm" it was "Hey Douce". I loved that families could be in during the day and have a great time, and in the evening, you didn't want a child anywhere near the debauchery going on inside. I loved meeting so many people from all walks of life and all over the world, hearing their stories when they sat down for a drink, and were told by friends who visited to stop by, or found us on the interwebs. It was all aces. I know how lucky we were. Missed it as soon as I stepped on that plane out of there.
There was a reason 66 was the best sports bar in Seoul for so long, and the people that wore the 66 logo on their jerseys, shirts, and supported the bar in any way, made us strive to deliver on good times. When you have great people working for you, it makes things easy, and thankfully we always had an amazing staff, and that was because of our manager and partner Bo. You are the bomb in Phantoms, yo. Paul, thank you for always being willing to help and work when you could, and handling Trivia and MC duties. Soyeon, thank you for your behind the scenes work and commitment to 66.
Much like many other small businesses in Itaewon, and the world, Corona was a struggle for us. We were able to keep the doors open, but it was not easy. Taking Ls for two years plus made life difficult, but I am so proud that we always paid our staff on time, and always paid our bills. I wish we could have done a Gofundme and taken the easy way out, but wasn’t in us. Last year, I moved back to the states, and with Bo having a baby, we saw it was going to be difficult for 66 to stay open and operating at the high standards we expected. That’s why we decided to move on. We wish nothing but the best to the new ownership group as they live out their dreams and turn that wonderful spot into their own.
This page will be archived for all the memories , and who knows, maybe in a few years we open a new 66 in Itaewon, in Phoenix, or somewhere else in the world. If there’s a Phillies North America, there surely is room for a 66 Southwest. In the words of the great Andrei Cherwinksi, “WE DID IT.”
Here’s to the Kings, Queens, and Jokers that filled our tables and drank us out of Fireball on a regular basis. Love and appreciate you all.
-Ryan
