Partner’s Pub: Best birthday bar
The Pointer
jmath438@uwsp.edu
Starting eight years ago, Partner’s Pub introduced the all-important “birthday mug,” which has become a tradition for Stevens Point residents celebrating their twenty-first birthday and subsequent birthdays thereafter, making Partner’s Pub the number one choice for best Stevens Point birthday bar.
“That shows that what we’re trying to do is successful and people are having a good time,” “Publican” Tim Mckeown said.
“We give people free drinks on their birthdays as long as they provide themselves a designated driver, and they get a souvenir mug,” Mckeown said. “Every year it’s a different color so people keep coming back to keep their collection going.”
This year’s mug is orange and can be filled with Partner’s large variety of tap beer and rail liquors. The idea for the birthday mug came from a Madison bar called the Nitty Gritty, which opened a bar in Stevens Point.
“After they closed, we started doing it,” Mckeown said.
Mckeown and the other employees’ main goal with the birthday mug is to bring customers to the pub and to keep them coming back, but that’s not their only draw.
“We have a friendly staff. That’s what people look for. We try to have a friendly staff and people feel welcome here. It doesn’t matter what kind of specials you got. If you’ve got surly, crabby bartenders, nobody wants to spend their money,” Mckeown said.
Along with the birthday specials and friendly staff, Partner’s offers a variety of specials including drinks, food and free snacks.
Some specials are on double drinks, mugs of beer, one liter Long Island iced teas and discounted Bloody Marys on Sundays. Along with the daily specials, others can be found throughout the month--just ask the bartender.
“We’re always throwing some different specials up there,” Mckeown said.
The pub also has food specials including homemade pizzas and complimentary hors’d’oeuvres on Fridays.
Partner’s also provides entertainment for fun seekers entering the bar. Either Wednesday or Thursday of each week is karaoke night with “Sing That Tune Karaoke.” Disc jockeys are brought in every week to liven up the party and live music is also available, featuring acts such as local folk musician Tuck Pence. Free pool is also available on Sundays.
