WORTHINGTON — Listons Bar & Grill, a local institution for decades, is set to change ownership. But Steve Magargal, who has owned the business with his wife Diane since 2000, said Listons will be in good hands with the local ownership group that is buying it.
“This is the right group of guys to take it over,” said Magargal.
The group consists of James Ryan, Dan Matica, John Thomas, Tim Tunstall, Bri Ryan and Jessica Yarmey, most of whom live in the Hilltowns.
Bri Ryan, who is James Ryan’s daughter, and Jessica Yarmey, who is Thomas’ girlfriend, will be running the establishment. Both are former Listons employees.
Yarmey said that she’s “excited” about the prospect of running and owning Listons, which she said was her first bartending job.
“The menu I’m definitely excited about,” Yarmey said, who noted that Diane has offered to give them some of her secret recipes.
Magargal said the sale should be finalized this week. As for why they’re selling it, Magargal noted that he and his wife were both ready to step back.
“We’re both getting up there in age,” he said.
Magargal also said the last few years have been difficult and credited community support, which included a GoFundMe fundraiser, for helping the establishment through the pandemic.
“We wouldn’t have made it through without that money,” he said.
Magargal said that the restaurant’s income now about equals its expenses.
The last event at Listons under the current ownership occurred Saturday, a prime rib dinner done in conjunction with the Ben Joslyn Memorial Golf Tournament, a charity event.
Magargal said that it felt good that this was the last event, and noted the number of other charity events Listons has sponsored, including a fundraiser in which Charles Neville played alongside the band Misty Blues, which started at the Town Hall and ended at Listons.
“Quite a night,” Magargal said.
He also noted how after 9/11 Listons honored a deceased firefighter and mailed a check to his widow.
“His mother came all the way up from New York,” Magargal said.
Matica has lived in Worthington for 13 years, something he said makes him “new to town.”
“We just want to keep it going,” Matica said, of Listons.
He said that they intend to keep the name Listons, and he noted its value as a community center.
“We’re trying to keep as much as what Steve and Diane built,” he said.
James Ryan said he and Magargal developed a strong friendship through golf.
“We’ve been really good friends for 30, 35 years,” he said.
Thomas said the group has its work cut out for it, but they’re trying to keep a community place going.
“It’s been kind of the hub of Worthington for many many years,” he said. “We hope to carry the torch.”
Matica said the new owners are ideally looking to get rid of the old structure of Listons, which he described as being in rough shape, and construct a new building with roughly the same square footage, a basement, and an outdoor dining area.
Both Matica and Ryan noted, however, that they’re going to need to consult with the town about their plans.
“We have to work with the powers that be,” Ryan said.
Matica also said that they would look to save as much from the interior of the current structure as possible — “Kind of make it part of the new building,” he said.
An example he gave was the wood paneling from the current structure’s restroom.
The establishment is currently closed, and Matica said that there are plans to reopen Listons as a year-round establishment next spring.
“The goal would be to have some sort of soft opening in April,” he said.
Matica also said that there could be an ice cream stand and an outdoor pavilion down the road, and he talked about having English Premier League soccer shown at Listons on Saturdays once it reopens.
As for what his favorite thing about owning Listons has been, Magargal noted both the people and the music.
“The music is really hard to replace,” he said.
He also said that while he and his wife will be looking to be snowbirds in South Carolina, they’re not going to move away.
“We’re not leaving Worthington that’s for sure,” he said.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.