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High Street Grill to close for redesign

High Street Grill will be closing its doors Dec. 13, with the new bar opening in mid-January.
High Street Grill will be closing its doors Dec. 13, with the new bar opening in mid-January.

Vince Alexander

High Street Grill will be closing its doors Dec. 13, with the new bar opening in mid-January.

Uptown Oxford's High Street Grill will close its doors this winter to be replaced by a new lounge bar, according to Bryan Hoelzer, owner of the current restaurant.

"We are not going out of business," Hoelzer said. "We are restructuring our building."

Hoelzer said Dec. 13 will be the last day that High Street Grill will be in operation.

"We are not selling a lot of our high-end items like we have been over the past eight years," Hoelzer said. "Sales have been down so we are going to reinvent ourselves to gear more towards college students in the current economy."

Hoelzer said that customers do not come for lunch anymore and dinner traffic during the week has also slowed.

According to Hoelzer, the new lounge bar will open in mid-January and will serve high-end liquors and beers. Hoelzer said that the new bar's atmosphere will be comparable to Tonic's.

"We are going to serve more high-end alcohol and everything will be served in bottles or glasses," Hoelzer said.

Hoelzer said they are trying to be more in touch with the Miami University population, catering toward professors and students.

"It is going to be a lot more casual but still very trendy at the same time," Hoelzer said.

According to Hoelzer, the new bar will serve food items mostly under $10 that can be shared by a group of people.

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"We are looking to serve different types of hummus, bean dips and locally grown foods," Hoelzer said.

According to Hoelzer, the new bar will also feature local talent such as acoustic guitar players and singers.

Hoelzer said the bar will also be available for private parties to rent out until 2 a.m. and food will be served until midnight.

Hoelzer said that Miami architect students are working on the layout of the inside décor.

"We are working on the color scheme, furniture and layout design," said Miami senior architect major Spencer Simms.

Simms said there are significant issues turning a restaurant into a bar such as flow and overall atmosphere, but the end goal will be a laid-back bar that serves the local and graduate level.

"Alcohol is recession-proof, when things are bad people drink, and when things are good people drink," Hoelzer said.