MOUNT MORRIS — A Mount Morris bar may be called The Idle Hour, but it’s been anything but idle for its owners.

Britton and Megan Brooks have been busy during the past year-and-a-half putting their own touch on the longtime establishment, working to turn a community watering hole into an area destination.

The couple bought the business in March 2024, and since then have redesigned its back patio, updated the music stage and sound system and are bringing in more entertainment options from the region — but that doesn’t mean it’s just out with the old and in with the new. They want the changes to complement longstanding events at the bar such as Bingo for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day, and other events such as Adult Bingo and Adult Prom.

They’re also making sure The Idle Hour still lives up to is name, by giving people a place where they can take a detour from the daily grind and shift out of high gear long enough to park themselves at their bar and enjoy a few idle hours with friends while having a drink and grabbing a bite to eat. The Brookses want customers to feel a sense of connection when they stop by, and hope to draw people not only from Mount Morris but surrounding communities, whether they’re longtime regulars or first-time visitors.

“We’re making it more of a place where more things are going on,” Megan said. “Mount Morris is kind of off the beaten path for most, so you got to give them a reason to come out here.”

The location has been a bar for many decades, and prior to the Brookses owning it, it was owned by local restaurateurs Matt and Jamie Pendergrass, who have several restaurants in north central Illinois, and Maggie and Dave Johnson before that, who named it Maggie’s Idle Hour. While bringing their own touch to the bar, they also kept some of the place’s longstanding features such as vintage signs from local businesses.

Megan had worked for the Pendergrasses for six years and was bar manager before she and Britton bought The Idle Hour. They had been offered it a couple of times in the past, including during a time right after the coronavirus pandemic when the economy proved to be a challenge in the food and drink industry. Instead, they waited until the time was right for them.

“At first I was interested, but then not really because it was right after Covid since it was such a gamble,” Megan said. “After life kind of went back to normal, then we discussed it and were like, ‘Should we do it?’ Then we talked with Matt and went through what all we would have to do, and it got the ball rolling.”

Britton, who also has a full-time job, helps out with the kitchen and maintenance, while Megan’s roles at the front of the house haven’t changed much, tending bar four nights a week on top of keeping the books.

The bar features a selection of beer, vodkas, whiskeys, bourbons, and more. Among some of the customer favorites are rum buckets and the apple pie shot, an apple vodka and cinnamon drink that customers have said tastes like the whole apple pie, crust and all. Megan said she and Britton are looking at coming up with other drinks, such as seasonal ones for fall and winter.

“I’d rather have us know how to make the basic drinks good and then the one drink on special,” Megan said. “Being here for six years, I’ve got it down to what people want, but we also like to keep ourselves on the trending side.”

And the bar’s hours aren’t just idle; they’re happy, too, with Happy Hour running from 4-5 p.m., with half-price food and drinks

Burgers, wings and wraps are popular items on the menu, which has largely remained unchanged since they took over, having stuck with what’s kept customers coming back to the bar for years. “Most of them are staples from previous owners, and if we got rid of them I think it’d put us out of business,” Britton said. The chicken tenders are hand battered and one of its appetizers, the cheese logs, are six-inch hand-rolled mozzarella string cheese sticks served with sweet chili sauce.

“We’re in the process of trying to make ourselves known for something or another,” Britton said. “Everyone wants to be known for something food-wise for sure. We definitely have the consistency and have worked on improving it with having weekly specials as one of the things that we now do.”

Another fun event that brought engagement to the place was its Downtown Throw Down throughout the summer of 2024. Three of its cooks came up with a culinary creation, and customers voted on which one to add to the permanent menu, which the Brookses plan to redo it in the near future. The winner was the Nacho Mounder Burger — a half-pound beef patty with nacho cheese, bacon and grilled onions on a toasted brioche bun — named as a nod to the former Mount Morris High School “Mounder” mascot. The other selections were a Nashville hot chicken sandwich and a Mac Daddy burger wrap.

The couple hopes being creative and having fun will keep customers hungry for more.

“We would like to keep doing stuff like this in the future,” Britton said. “It keeps us engaged with the community and our customers more, and we like that.”

Winning money has been another fun way to engage customers, Megan said.

While some bars have a Queen of Hearts playing card raffle, in which winners of each draw select a face-down card to see whether it reveals the queen, The Idle Hour does things its own way, with the King of Spades as its featured card. Unlike other versions of the game, it’s free to play, and the money comes from both the business and the gaming company that owns the place’s six gambling machines.

“I wanted it to be a little bit different,” Megan said. “We’ll have some regulars who’ll get mad if someone who just came in that night and their name gets drawn, and they’re like, ‘But we’re here 14 times a week ...’ You got to have some fun with it.”

Owning a business and making it their own isn’t the only big change for the Brookses. The couple got married in October, and the bar was the perfect place for people to stop by and wish them well and have a celebratory round.

“Everyone’s having a good time here, and that’s what we aim for,” said Megan (née Gassaway). “We’re very happy with our decision to take over.”

The Idle Hour, 115 S. Wesley Ave. in Mount Morris, is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The kitchen closes at 9 p.m. daily. Find it on Facebook, go to idlehourfood.com or call 815-734-4110 for more information.