March 20, 2017

Meet Bob Rhein of The Square Pub in Decatur

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bob Rhein.

Bob, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My 1st job at 14 years old was a dish washer and I have been in this business ever since. Most of it has been in restaurants but I have also worked as an alcohol distributor in sales and at a bar inventory and tracking company, I have worked at small mom and pop restaurants and bars, to local multi location ones. A common thread always came up wherever I worked, after a few months I was always asked to take on some management shifts. I loved bartending but it made more sense to move to that roll if I ever wanted to follow the dream and open a place of my own. I worked for my last company for almost a decade as a Training manager and owner operator. When I started with that company they had just opened their 13th locations, and when I left they had 22 locations. It was great to be a part of growth but I realized it was not for me anymore. I liked the smaller company feeling and felt like I was ready to try it out on my own. My Business partner and I started The Square Pub in 2010 and after a few years he wanted to take a different career path, so I bought him out. I have been the sole owner for the last 2.5yrs

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
You have to love this business, its craziness and people because there are much easier ways to make a living. Margins are small and get smaller every year as costs are always rising. I am lucky to be surrounded by a great team but it has taken a long time to make this happen and you never know how long it will last. You have to be ready every day for the curve balls that get thrown your way but always do the important things not the important “right now” things, otherwise all you will be doing is just putting out fires. If you correct the big things you have less problems moving forward and the small things tend to work themselves out. This industry is ever-changing, there is always something new and fresh. So you have to be adaptive while staying true to your roots, not forgetting how you got to where you are, and always serving great food and drinks in a great atmosphere and continue to give them a reason to keep coming back.

The Square Pub – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a dying breed, the neighborhood pub. We keep our prices affordable and surprise you with the quality of our food for the price point we have a faithful group of regulars that we see a few times a week. We strive to be the family friendly place you go on weekday nights so you don’t have the hassle of cooking and cleaning, instead you get to spend some time catching up. Time seems to be the one thing we never have enough of, which makes The Square Pub the perfect outing for the whole family.

We have a diverse menu here at the Pub, ranging from your typical pub fare to southwestern cuisine. We make an annual trip to a farm in Hatch, New Mexico that specializes in green chiles. Once we collect the chiles and say a prayer with the farmer that blesses the chiles, the people who prosper from the chiles, and a safe return, we then drive 1500 miles back to Decatur, GA. Upon arrival back home we proceed to kick off our Chile Roast, where we utilize the Green Hatch Chiles in a special menu for the day as well as chile beers brewed by neighboring breweries. Crab Fest is also a fun day for the whole family, where we have a special menu using fresh Maryland blue crabs and snow crab, paired with great beer from Baltimore, Maryland. Everything from whole steamed Maryland blue crabs and snow crab legs to gnocci crab mac & cheese and crab cake benedict. This year we are adding another fun filled day to the calendar, a Low Country Boil in April paired with great beer from Savannah, GA.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Being a mentor is the best part of what I do. I have been working with my General Manager on and off for over 15 years. I hired him as a 15 yr old cook and saw he had the drive and passion. By 18 he was the youngest Kitchen Manager in the company. We lost touch for a few years when I left that company but when we started this place he was the 1st call I made and has been with me ever since. He is a big reason we are as successful today as we are.

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