Trolley's Downtown Bar & Grille
is owned by Rich Branham, Aaron Buerge, Steve Warlick, and Ryan MacDonald. Below is a brief history of just how it all came to be.
Rich (a sales engineer for Trane Corporation) and Steve (an architect for Bates & Associates, Inc.) bought the three-story building that houses Trolley's Bar and Grille in 1999, for the purpose of renovating the top two floors into luxury loft apartments. With that project completed, the first floor remained vacant for the next two years.
Steve was given the task of developing a concept for a restaurant that would fit into the extensive renovation of Downtown Springfield. Given his knowledge of architecture and the public's fascination with the historical buildings, a 1920’s theme was conceived. The name Trolley's came from the mode of transportation that defined that era. After enough talk of the three-dimensional buildings that would inhabit the space and create an outdoor ambience, we decided to throw in some money for a run to a local home supply store. The materials were purchased and we began hand crafting the environment.
The restaurant opened on Valentine’s Day 2003. Although we were fortunate enough to always have a good crowd from day one, it only took one year for us to the realize that we knew absolutely nothing about the restaurant business.
Rich, Aaron, Ryan, and Steve
Address: 107 Park Central Square, Springfield MO 65606
