New owner renovating Satch's, renaming Streator restaurant to O-9er

Satch’s Bar at 818 N. Shabbona St. in Streator has a new owner and a new name.

From now on, it will be known as O-9ers’ Pub.

Owner Brett Freeman announced on the business' Facebook page Thursday that work had already begun renovating the building.

“For as long as I can remember, owning a restaurant has always been my dream,” Freeman said in the post. “I enjoy cooking and love to be in the kitchen. When I first saw the listing that Satch’s Bar was up for sale, I immediately dove head first into the idea and started envisioning the future and drawing out blueprints for the remodel.”

Freeman said the pub will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with different food and drink specials for each day of the week. The pool table and dart machines will remain as well to allow for leagues.

There will also be live music on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 11 a.m.

O-9ers’ name derives from the old “Line-O-Nine” weekly employee newspaper that Owens-Illinois used to publish as a way to keep up with news across the factory. At the time it was active, Owens-Illinois employed nearly 3,000 people.

“Being somewhat of a history buff, I wanted to incorporate Streator’s history into the development of the former Satch’s Bar,” Freeman said.

Freeman said Satch’s used to be one of the go-to spots for Owens employees to unwind after their shifts, and he’s hoping to bring that back by offering breakfast starting at 6 a.m. every day.

He said he has plans to build an addition to the building that would be for private events, live entertainment and additional dining space, but the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t make that possible right now.