Compass Bar and Grille is owned by Elizabeth and Megan Odell-McKinley and will be located at 1789 Old Road. The planned opening day is May 26.

The building has been in the area since 1977, last being used as Rustic Ridge before closing 22 years ago. Before that it was known as Country Classic.

Elizabeth Odell-McKinley used to work at Rustic Ridge before it closed, and a dream of hers has always been to open the building back up. She owned a catering business with Megan Odell-McKinley for about a year and a half and the two decided to go into this business together.

“This place was not for sale for a long time,” Elizabeth Odell-McKinley said. “I worked here in 2001 before it closed and it has been my dream to open it back up. There is the Peek’n Peak and the French Creek Tavern, but we thought the area needed more options.”

Compass Bar and Grille is located at 1789 Old Road, the former location of Rustic Ridge which closed 22 years ago. The building has been in the area since 1977. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

The two women were able to get the building when they ran into the former owner who said her husband had just passed away and she was looking to sell. After that the place “fell into their laps.” The two formed a business plan, became contractors, and the work on the building began.

The area is also a very good location for the business, as it sits near a snowmobile trail and near Findley Lake, where both women live.

“It’s a perfect mix for everything we want to do,” Megan Odell-McKinley said. “It’s been a dream. The location is great, and it’s right where we live.”

With other businesses such as the Peek’n Peak right down the road, the two were able to form a network between the area’s existing businesses and their friends who also live in the area. A lot of people and businesses have helped to collaborate on the project, and the two women hope to be able to continue to collaborate with other local businesses and restaurants in the future once opening.

“The people in French Creek and Findley Lake are a rare breed,” Elizabeth Odell-McKinley said.

Megan Odell-McKinley added on to that, calling the area a “kind area”.

“People here want success for everyone and they are willing to help,” she said.

The name Compass Bar and Grille came about because Elizabeth and Megan Odell-McKinley used to travel a lot together before working to open the restaurant. The plan is to serve items from all across the country. These include items from Nashville and Key West. They are working on perfecting a Cuban as well. The idea is to bring items to the local area, and put a local spin on it. They are working to bring family favorites to the area, along with favorites from the South Shore — the name of their close knit group of friends.

The pair also plans on not only offering the bar and grille but activities to do in all four seasons as they continue to grow in the business. The five year plan includes a lot of different reasons for people to come and see the place. Their dreams include the ability to hold outdoor concerts, a beer garden, and more.

“It is something new and our biggest strive is to offer good quality food and entertainment,” Elizabeth Odell-McKinley said. “All four seasons there will be different and new things to do.”

Megan Odell-McKinley said that they plan on offering a fun and comforting environment that offers consistency and a good place for employees and for the community to come to.

“We love the area and the other businesses and we look forward to working with the community and business owners,” Megan Odell-McKinley said.

Mostly, the two hope to continue to always be able to grow.

“Perfection is stagnation,” Elizabeth Odell-McKinley said. “Personally and in a business sense I don’t feel you should ever stop growing.”

“That’s boring anyway,” Megan Odell-McKinley added.

With opening day being on Memorial Day weekend, the bar and grille promises to kick off the summer in a big way with some surprises in store. Another big goal for the Odell-McKinleys is to attract people to the area.

“Competition is good for consistency,” Elizabeth Odell-McKinley said. “It’s not a bad thing. It brings people to the area, so if they come here they may end up going to other businesses as well.”

Megan Odell-McKinley said that bringing more people to the area is good as the area has continued to grow, not only since the Covid-19 pandemic but also since she came to the area herself. Megan Odell-McKinley’s family used to have a cottage on the lake for 32 years. Others have also started to move away from summer cottages to living in the area full time.

The biggest attraction that the pair hopes the business will have is its uniqueness. Not only is the menu set to be unique, but so is basically everything about it.

“We’ve done the rafters, installation, the painting,” Megan Odell-McKinley said. “Two women became contractors overnight. We have our business plan and menu, and the atmosphere will be unique.”

The atmosphere is meant to mix things such as the outdoors and the beach, and other things for all four seasons. Overall, what Elizabeth Odell-McKinley takes most pride in is their background.

“We are a veteran and women owned business,” she said. “We take pride in having that background. This will be family oriented and hopefully will leave a legacy for years to come. It has been a passion project from beginning to end. Not many people would walk in here and say, ‘yup, we can do this’. Every bit of the building has had our hands on it, and we are proud of that.”

Megan Odell-McKinley said that she was excited to see who else they will bring in in the future.

“I look forward to seeing what family we can bring to be a part of the team,” she said.

Over the course of the project, the tagline for the pair originally was “kick it up a notch” — something Elizabeth Odell-McKinley would say as plans started to form. Eventually, the tag line changed to “a million dreams” — stemming from the song with the same name, made famous by “The Greatest Showman” movie, and Pink. It has also been the pump-up song for the pair.

“A million dreams are going to come true with this business,” Elizabeth Odell-McKinley said. “All our dreams are going to come true, now we just have to do it. It is a passion project.”