Roady's Roadhouse is a wicked little bar on the wrong side of town.
Chances are you’ve seen this bar and avoided it. It stands on the wrong side of the tracks, far from the gentrified centers of downtown Myserie, surrounded by a vet’s office, a gas station, and some of the old factory warehouses. It smells strangely like a wet dog inside, but somehow, since 1992, The Roadhouse has been serving the city of Myserie with beers, booze, and frankly, the best damn tater tots you’ve ever tasted.
Owner and proprietor, Eddie Jansen has been working at the Roadhouse since it opened. “Back then it was mainly warehouse employees and bikers,” he says. “You know the kind: big, hairy, salt of the earth, avoid the city every full — I mean every few weeks.”
Jansen took ownership of the Roadhouse approximately two years ago when he cashed in the tips he’d amassed over the years and purchased the place from its previous owner, and went about creating a small menu of extremely unhealthy but tremendously tasty options: the aforementioned tater tots with Jansen’s personally curated seasoning and garlic aioli, the spiciest chili you’ve ever had.
“We don’t get fancy people in here,” says Jansen. “We don’t get office workers or fancy-pants hipsters or yuppies, and you know, I’m fine with that. I prefer customers of my own kind, but I’ll serve anyone, really.”
Eddie strikes an imposing figure in the city despite the unfortunate location of his bar. He makes a point to hire veterans despite never serving himself. He won’t tell you why but he feels that by helping out those in need of a job he is doing his part.
Eddie also tries to help out some of the younger citizens of Myserie in danger of losing their lodgings or otherwise in need of assistance. “I had a pup — I mean a kid come in, offer to wash dishes in exchange for something to eat. Later I learned his parents had kicked him out and he couldn’t afford a place to stay. I helped him put a down payment on an apartment and let him work off what he owed me. He went off to college last year on a scholarship. He’s a good kid. He’s family now.”
So if you’re prepared to gain a few pounds simply looking at that plate of tater tots and want to experience the diviest dive bar Myserie has to offer, make sure to give the Roadhouse a go. Tell Eddie the Chronicle sent you. He’ll probably charge you extra, but it’ll still be worth it.
((Roady's Roadhouse is currently claimed and operated by the Howling Ghosts Pack and all are welcome.))