Irish drinking bar fills another vacant downtown spot 

Bad Irish, an Irish drinking bar with a focus on live weekly music, is set to open next month in the space left vacant by the closure of City Grill at 8^th and Idaho streets.

Owners Dwight Peterson and Deborah Watts describe their concept as a “cross between Irish drinking and American partying” and said they plan to feature a diverse mix of live dance music, from classic rock to whatever’s on the radio right now.

“We see it as a Cheers-esque gathering place that at night turns into a live music party bar,” said Watts, a principal at Longfellow Elementary School. “We would like it to be a place where people like me in my mid-30s would be comfortable to go have a drink, enjoy live entertainment and feel comfortable.”

She and Peterson are both first-time entrepreneurs, though Watts said their families were both in the bar and restaurant business. Watts’ family roots in the industry go back to the pub her great-grandparents owned in County Meath, Ireland, though her parents later owned eight properties in the Long Beach, Calif., area. Watts’ brother, John Irish, will be general manager.

They won’t be able to call their place a traditional Irish pub because it won’t initially serve food – a way to keep costs low.

Watts said she’s not worried that previous tenants in the Boise City National Bank building – Doughty’s Bistro, Bolo’s Downtown Grillhouse Pub and City Grill – have all lasted fewer than five years since the space was renovated in 1996.

“It’s just all about timing and keeping your overhead costs down,” she said. “The price of real estate’s gone down. Our fixed costs may be lower. We’re real comfortable with being able to meet our monthly goals with what our costs are.”

She also said very little redecorating was required, and they will be starting with no debt. They also plan to offer Bad Irish T-shirts and other merchandise along with imports from Ireland.

They signed a five-year lease with building owner Rick Peterson.

Watts also noted that she’s not concerned about the current state of the economy.

“Even in bad economic times people need a place to relax and congregate and have fellowship,” she said. “We can’t invest in anything less than ourselves. It’s a lot less risky than a lot of things right now. It’s a lot better than my current investment portfolio.”

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