At the end of July, Jeff and Jackie Rood began renovating the space at 328 W. Gorham St. In just six weeks, the two University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni transformed Danny’s Pub, an Irish-style bar that had occupied the venue since 2017, into Moon Bar.
The newest addition to Madison’s bar scene is named after the iconic UW-Madison anthem, “If You Want to be a Badger,” which ends with the lyric “by the light of the moon,” owner Jackie Rood told The Daily Cardinal.
Rood and her husband Jeff manage properties in the Madison area, have two kids at UW-Madison and when they heard about the new opportunity to re-invigorate the bar, took it. Having flipped houses in the past, Jeff manages the business side of the venture while Jackie focuses on the decoration.
The Roods got to work immediately, meeting with existing staff to discuss if they wanted to be part of the new bar’s mission. Staff, family and friends were all a part of an intense renovation effort, ripping out tiling and beams, repainting booths and adding a stage to the second floor.
“We do have a lot of staff that stayed and they have been a huge help to us, getting the bar set up, they helped us, even decorating things that they wanted to see change,” Jackie said. “We want this to be a big collaboration because our whole goal is to have staff come in, feel comfortable and have a great time so that they look forward to coming to work.”
Collaboration with the staff is also behind many of Moon Bar’s new promotions and events this fall. Moon Bar plans to host live music, open mic nights, trivia, karaoke and other student community events, according to Jackie.
“We're also trying to cater not just to students, but to alumni, corporate events, because we have a beautiful event space upstairs,” Jackie said. “It's utilized a lot for students' functions, whether it's sorority or fraternity parties. We’ve got a couple like 21st birthday parties. We want this to be a student and community-based establishment.”
Moon Bar is also debuting a gluten-free menu, setting aside two fryers for cheese curds and fish frys, and two celiac-safe beers on tap from ALT Brew, a local Madison craft brewery.
Last Thursday, Moon Bar opened its doors to the public for the first time, inviting athletics alumni back to open for the Badgers first football game. On Saturday, Wisconsin musician Pat McCurdy performed live music to celebrate the opening.
As the Roods and Moon Bar settle in for the fall, they hope that the 2 a.m. August nights spent painting and preparing will pay off.
“We wanted to create that place that the kids really looked forward to when they turned 21. When we were in school, that was Mondays. When everyone turned 21, you were going to Mondays and you were getting a drink,” Jackie said. “So we kind of wanted to create that space where you're starting to look forward to something different, something new, looking forward to going there so that you can finally come in and be a part of it.”
John Ernst is the features editor for The Daily Cardinal. He has written in-depth on refugee resettlement, Milwaukee Public Schools and rural issues, including water contamination and immigrant farming. He also reported for the campus news, science and sports desks.
