Business & Tech

Royal Oak's Oxford Inn Rethinks Name Change, Plan of Operation

Owner Bob Higgins wants to make it clear the restaurant may change its look and menu but not its standards.

After announcing in January he was going back to his country roots, Oxford Inn owner Bob Higgins is rethinking what he wants to do.

Higgins' original plan was to add a little southern flair to Royal Oak and change the name of his Main Street eatery to Bobby's Nashville Bar and Grill.

"But somehow it got out there that I was going to do a total change," Higgins said. "The way that it came out in the papers was that I was going to have line dancing and a mechanical bull. I think the public thought that it was going a country western place that didn't have any of my Oxford Inn food and that I was just going after all young people."

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Higgins estimates 50 percent of his customers thought the Oxford Inn was under new ownership.

"The country thing has really messed me up," Higgins said. "It has really hurt my business, too, to tell you the truth."

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If the public didn't quite understand, after doing business at 1214 S. Main St. for 25 years, Higgins was hoping the Liquor Control Committee would.

Hoping to get a favorable response, Higgins went before LLC with changes to his plan of operation. A review of the plan by Deputy Chief Gordon Young stated Higgins had a long history of running a successful business with no significant calls for police service.

The police did, however, have one sticking point. 

At issue is the city’s dance permit. Higgins has a state permit for occasional dancing for private events, such as weddings. The city requires its own agreement for dancing and entertainment to help keep local control. Without a signed agreement, the police department objected to Higgins' changes in his plan of operation.

"I've had a state dance permit for 25 years," Higgins said of the Oxford Inn's small – 7-feet 2-inches by 14-feet 2-inches – dance floor. "I've never wanted to be a dance bar. I don’t want to have to have eight bouncers. We're a restaurant."

Higgins walked away from the LCC, refusing to sign the city dance agreement.

“I love the area and I love my customers. It’s the principle,” he said. “All I am trying to do is create a laid back room where customers can have a few drinks and listen to music – a couple of musicians sitting on bar stools, like a country coffeehouse."   

For now the restaurant will continue to operate as the Oxford Inn. He's made some minor changes to the interior, which include replacing carpeting with hardwood flooring and painting walls.

While he figures out what his next step will be, Higgins has a message for his customers.

“I want everyone to know the Oxford Inn has the same owner and your favorite food – and occasionally we have some good entertainment.”


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