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

Megan and Britton Brooks have put 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 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 its 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. They 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 Brooks’ 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.

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.

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 the couple 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.

Have a bite or a sip

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.