Pudge’s Bar expands business to new Second Street outdoor patio

• Pudge's Bar & patio

Pudge’s patio occupies a 76- by 28-foot open space on the north side of the bar. The north side of the building also has a new brick exterior wall. Photo by Randy Hanson
• Pudge’s Bar owner Michael Murphy stands in the new outdoor courtyard

Pudge’s Bar owner Michael Murphy stands in the new outdoor courtyard of his establishment at 304 Second St. He says it is patterned after the W.A. Frost and Company patio on Selby Avenue in St. Paul. Photo by Randy Hanson

Talk about it

The Hudson City Council last week amended the liquor license for Pudge’s Bar to allow alcoholic beverages to be served on a new outdoor patio.

Pudge’s owner Michael Murphy told the council he now owns the entire 300 block of Second Street on the east side, having recently purchased the old car dealership building at 310 Second St.

The patio is on the north side of Pudge’s, located at 304 Second St. It occupies a 76- by 28-foot open area between the bar, Casanova’s glass studio, a one-time car showroom at 310 Second St. and the sidewalk.

The Murphys are believed to have purchased the building to the north from former Hudson car dealer Dave Holt.

“I will be the only one on the block. I have no neighbors,” Murphy told council members after listening to an earlier discussion about noise complaints associated with an outdoor deck at Ellie’s On Main Sports Bar, a block north on Second Street.

Last spring, Murphy got City Council approval to serve alcohol on a hillside deck he planned to build on the south side of his building.

He said he abandoned that plan when the opportunity arose to buy the property to the north.

A six-foot tall fence (wrought iron in appearance) has been installed to separate the patio from the sidewalk.

Murphy told the City Council and members of the Finance Committee, who met immediately prior to the Sept. 7 council meeting, that the patio would be for serving alcohol and food.

Patrons may also smoke on the patio.

Mayor Dean Knudson noted that the owners of Pudge’s and Ellie’s both built outdoor seating areas in response to a state ban on smoking inside bars and restaurants that went into effect in July.

“You can expect to have a lot more of these to deal with,” Knudson said during the Finance Committee discussion over whether Ellie’s licensed premises for serving alcohol should once more include its deck.

“The idea that you’re going to keep everything inside isn’t going to happen anymore,” Knudson added later in the discussion.

See the Sept. 16 print edition of the Star-Observer for more on this story.

Tags: business, retail, food