ELLSWORTH — The 715 Steer & Beer is back in business after a June 1, 2023 fire tore through the building. It took a lot of hard work, but owner Josh Rhy said they are back open and have made some changes.

It took a long time for Rhy to be able to go back into the bar to clean and check for damages originally, but when he could enter, he began to clean, restore electricity and water, get licensed again and eventually reopen.

“Once I got started, it kind of came together faster than I imagined,” Rhy said.

Despite the fire preventing the 715 from bringing back their full kitchen, they are focusing on a handful of menu items. Rhy said they have new homemade pizzas which he claimed they may become known for, jumbo shrimp and their take on an Italian beef sandwich which includes cheese curds.

“It’s kind of refreshing with I’d even call a new start,” Rhy said. “Now it’s going to be more of a casual atmosphere… We’re going to focus on a few items and be really good at a few things.”

It is not just the changes to the menu for the 715, as they are focusing on the late night crowd. The 715 will host six bands over the next two months, putting an emphasis on live music. They will stay open later and serve food for all hours of operation rather than their previous lunch and dinner hours. Rhy said the unique cocktails customers have come to know and love will still be there.

While it took a lot of work to reopen, Rhy said the constant questions from friends, family and customers about when they were going to reopen encouraged him to do whatever it takes.

“I would get constant questions, messages, just lots of people reaching out talking about how much they miss the place, miss going there,” Rhy said. “Encouragement from my girlfriend Jessie. She was a strong advocate to get it reopened.”

Rhy said all the work that went into the cleaning and reopening was all worth it to hear the feedback from the community.

The 715 Steer & Beer is located at W6087 US Highway 10 and is once again open for business.