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Sonny Ninan has a long history with the space on Woodruff Road where he and his wife recently opened Hailee’s Sports Bar.
Back when the place was operating as Cheer’s Food & Spirits, the owner came to Ninan seeking some tax advice. Ninan eventually brokered the bar’s purchase by its next owner, who renamed it Riley’s. Several years later, Ninan again brokered the sale of Riley’s to another owner. When he was approached once again and asked if he’d like to purchase the hot spot, he figured he may as well.
“I’m going to keep it a while,” Ninan said. “This is close to my home, and people know me.”
Ninan and his wife have done some major renovations to the bar, so if you visit expecting it to look like Riley’s used to, you’re in for a surprise. He added 1,800 square feet, and remodeled the whole building, but the biggest change is the addition of a second bar, running right down the middle of the place, with seating on both sides.
“It’s very unique. You don’t see that in town anywhere,” Ninan said. “Everybody loves it.”
The menu will also look different. Food offerings run the gamut from meat-and-three at lunch time to Italian dishes.
“It’s a fusion of foods,” Ninan said.
Hailee’s will offer the traditional sports bar amenities, too, including 24 big-screen televisions showing contests on cable, DirecTV and ESPN 360. You’ll also find pool tables, video games and, on some nights, live music. And like its predecessor, free wireless Internet will also be available.
The bar is well-stocked with alcohol, but those under the legal drinking age have options, too—such as a frozen daiquiri, sans alcohol. Ninan said he wants people of all ages and stations in life to feel welcome at Hailee’s.
Ninan operates several other bars in the area, and has been in the industry for about 30 years, but he doubles as a real estate broker, and even has some law enforcement in his background.
“I’ve done a number of things in life, but (running a bar) is one of my passions,” Ninan said.
Ninan said he named the bar for a special friend of his—the furry kind.
“I have a Great Dane about 9 months old, and her name is Hailee,” Ninan said. “She’s my baby. So that’s where the name came from.”
