ALTON - Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, will be a special day at Mac’s in Downtown Alton. Mac’s will have an all-day commemoration of Mac’s 40th anniversary.
Mac’s opened at 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 6, 1983, at 315 Belle Street in Alton. Now, the rest is history about the success of the bar/restaurant.
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The biggest special of the day at Mac’s on Saturday will be $1.50 on all domestic beers, which will rival prices back in the 1980s, Rob Lenhardt, one of the owners, said.
“We will be going all day here from about noon to midnight,” Rob added. “We have a DJ set to be on from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday. There will be a lot of 1970s and 1980s music played. We look forward to seeing a lot of faces we haven’t seen in a while and also some new people. It will be an absolutely a great day.”
Rob said he believes what his dad, Mac, is most proud of is how far the business has come since its humble beginnings of a 60-foot by 25-foot bar.
“We have seen a lot of people come and some are still here,” Rob said about the 40-year journey. “We have had a lot of good times and also some hard times. When you have been in a business like this for 40 years you hear a lot of good and bad stories.
“We are very fortunate to have had the staff we have and also numerous people help us in the bad times. You don’t make it if people don’t help you in those hard situations. You have to rely on good people for help, you can’t do this alone. We are very fortunate to have good people and the Alton area also has some truly great people who live in it and offer support.”
Rob provided high praise for his father Mac for always sticking with him and the business, even in difficult times.
Mac said the key to the success involved a lot of people helping all along the way, but said the key ingredient for all involved could be summed up in five words - “a lot of hard work.”
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