‘Family friendly’ Brothers Pub and Grub to open in January

Construction is underway at 3422 Bray Road, where the new restaurant is expected to open in January. Lisa Brotherton-Barnes

The husband-and-wife team of Tim and Sue Fischbeck are the co-owners of a shared dream taking shape at 3422 Bray Road on the western edge of Farmington and hope to open early in January 2024. 

Brothers Pub and Grub will be a family-friendly dining experience that holds a special significance in nearly every aspect of the restaurant, including her husband, Tim, acting as the general contractor for the construction phase.

Sue Fischbeck said her family owned and operated the popular restaurant Grant’s Inn in Ironton from the early seventies until around 1992. Between 2016 and 2022, husband Tim owned and operated The Blue Diamond, a sports bar and grill, in Cape Girardeau. 

“This isn’t something that’s going to be trial and error. We’ve got lots of years of restaurant experience between us and have been planning this for about eight years,” she said. “We wanted to have a bar and grill that was family-friendly and have billiards, too. We plan on having a blue-plate special throughout the week, like a country-cooked type of meal like meatloaf, fried chicken, open-faced beef, and chicken and dumplings.  We’re going to use my mom’s recipes back from the old Grant’s Inn days — and that’ll be like her being a part of it with us.”

The location holds special significance for the Fischbeck. “The original Warehouse Barbecue Company was there, and we always had good memories of eating there with family, just good times. Plus, we like the location because it’s a little out of town, but traffic is good, and it will be easy to get in and out.”

Sue and Tim Fischbeck, owners of Brothers Pub and Grub. Submitted Photo

Families being able to gather for fun and good food is at the heart of the endeavor. 

“We want this to always be a family-friendly venue,” Fischbeck said. “The thing we like about a billiard center or pool hall is that anybody can play pool.  You can have a grandma play pool with her grandkids; it’s an all-ages kind of thing, and it’s fun. We hope to be welcoming and inviting to everyone from beginners to veteran players. We most likely will be offering pool leagues because it has been a long time since we’ve had that in the area.

“We are also going to be an event venue.  Our building is going to be 6,000 square feet.  We want to have live music, and then we’ll be able to offer the community a place to host parties, receptions, and that kind of thing. We plan to be open seven days a week, so there should be a schedule to suit everyone.”

Fishbeck said the most meaningful part of the new restaurant venture is the name itself — Brothers Pub and Grub.

“Both Tim and I have lost brothers — Jimmy, Mike, and David — and we felt like using ‘Brothers‘ in the name would be a good way to honor their memory and create a way for them to be a part of this thing that is so important to us. We also liked the feeling of creating an environment where brotherhood is important, a place where everyone is welcome and feels like they are part of a family.”

Lisa Brotherton-Barnes is a staff writer with the Daily Journal. She can be reached at lbarnes@dailyjournalonline.com.