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The owner of downtown bar The Whistle Stop plans to open a sports bar this fall in the Mass Ave cultural district.
Rob Strong, who operates The Whistle Stop and owned Stadium Tavern until its closure in 2022, will launch Tie-Breakers, 339 Massachusetts Ave., with co-owner Wayne Raber.
Tie-Breakers will take over a 3,500-square-foot space occupied by MacNiven’s Restaurant and Bar from 2003 to 2020. A bygone seafood concept, Raw Bar by Slapfish, followed MacNiven’s in 2021.
The Mass Ave address will be a change of scenery for Strong, who’s closely associated with socializing near Lucas Oil Stadium because of The Whistle Stop, 375 S. Illinois St., and the former Stadium Tavern, 802 S. West St.
Raber, who owns Indianapolis-based construction company J&W Construction, said Tie-Breakers’ patrons will be able to watch an array of sporting events on the bar’s televisions.
“We’ll make sure we have every sport possible,” Raber said. “Every soccer game, all golf, football, basketball and baseball. When you walk in here, you’ll be able to get whatever game.”
The food menu at Tie-Breakers will feature distinctive options such as deep-fried ribs and alligator, Strong said.
In March 2024, Strong hosted former Gov. Eric Holcomb at The Whistle Stop for the signing of Indiana’s “Happy Hour Bill,” which revived the practice of selling discounted drinks for a limited time in Indiana after a 39-year ban.
Tie-Breakers gained approval for a beer, wine and liquor license during the Aug. 4 meeting of Marion County’s Alcoholic Beverage Board.
It’s another in a small handful of bars and restaurants cropping up in spaces once occupied by popular Mass Ave haunts. The owners of Brownsburg’s B Squared Bar and Grill announced this month that they’ll open the Knotted Spoon Bar and Kitchen in the space formerly occupied by Nine Irish Brothers, 575 Massachusetts Ave. That establishment is also expected to open this fall.
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Rob Strong has been a good neighbor. Wish he and Wayne much success.