Duff’s Tavern & Grille will return next month to its original downtown location at 1306 Washington St. — succeeding Borrello’s, and the Upper End at Duff’s lounge will open upstairs in the space formerly home to The Loft.

“I’m thrilled and honored that they wanted to bring back the concept of Duff’s Tavern,” said Harry Sharp, owner of the building who also created Duff’s Tavern & Grille, which he operated from 1995 to 2003.

Both businesses will be family affairs: Duff’s will be operated by Les and Sally Pearman and their sons, Ronnie and Graham; while Larry and Michelle Ray will operate the Upper End at Duff’s with their children, Justin Vinzant, Lee Martin and Ryan Ray. Both are aiming for a Nov. 1 opening, and they’ll be working together to provide food service and similar atmospheres at both venues.

“This is really a natural fit,” Les Pearman said.  “Larry’s been one of my best friends since I came to Vicksburg. I’ve had to listen to him for the past 15 years about his opening up a place of his own, just like what he’s got going on upstairs now.”

The Pearmans have been in the restaurant business for more than three decades. After getting his start in his native Cleveland, Miss., and Greenville, Pearman operated a restaurant in the Levee Street Depot in the 1980s, as well as the Biscuit Company restaurant on Grove Street at Washington from 1997 to 2003. The family plans to feature a few of their signature dishes from the old Biscuit Company on the new Duff’s menu, along with steaks, pasta dishes, sandwiches, po-boys and salads. The restaurant will have a full-service bar and will be open for lunch and dinner.

“We’re still working out the details on our menu, but the emphasis of everything we do is going to be on using fresh ingredients and providing good service,” Pearman said.

Ray, a Vicksburg native and lifelong resident, has owned and operated Superior Heating and Air Conditioning for 25 years. However, he’s dreamed of owning a lounge since his younger days when he used to help his brother, former NFL running back Eddie Ray, operate a bar in Lake Charles, La.

“It’s just something I’ve always dreamed of doing — opening a lounge, not a bar — and when this opportunity came about it seemed like the perfect opportunity,” said Ray. 

When Ray talks about the distinction between a lounge and a bar, it becomes clear he’s talking about clientele mostly. He’s the first to point out the string of bars that formerly occupied the space he’s now heavily renovating were known for attracting crowds that often got out of hand and resulted in regular visits from the police.

“We’re not going to tolerate any of that in here,” Ray said. “This is going to be a clean, comfortable lounge where people can come to relax without having to worry about running into trouble.”

The name of Ray’s lounge, the Upper End, also is a return to the past for some in Vicksburg. A bar called the Upper End operated at the former Magnolia Motel and Restaurant, now the site of the Ameristar Hotel during the 1970s and ’80s.

At the new Upper End, Ray plans to keep the pool and fooseball tables in the lounge and host a live band on the large stage each weekend. Hours will be from 3 p.m. until business slows. Because Sharp’s building is one of a few dozen in the city that has resort status, both Duff’s Tavern and the Upper End can remain open and serve alcohol 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Borrello’s, an Italian restaurant and bar, operated for seven years at 1306 Washington St. before closing in mid-September, citing the slow economy. The Loft had been in the upstairs location since 2005, and closed in June.

Sharp originally created Duff’s Tavern and Grille. He and his wife own and operate Duff Green Mansion at 1114 First East St., an antebellum tour home and bed and breakfast. It was their initial investment in Vicksburg.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com