That old axiom “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” could be the theme of the Buffet Bar — that goes for New Year’s Eve as well.
It’s business as usual during the party night of the year. The only difference is the streamers.
“We’ll have some decorations and a champagne toast at midnight,” Buffet Bar manager Crystal Bair said. “We’ll televise the ball drop, but we don’t have anything special going on. There’s no New Year’s Eve drink. New Year’s Eve is just a normal day and night for us. We try to keep it as normal as possible.”
That approach has worked for 90 years. The Buffet Bar, once known as the Buffet Lantern, has remained at its location longer than any other place in Tucson. “There is a lot of history here,” Bair said. “There's no place like it.”
Bair, 37, has been around the bar since her grandfather, Ted Bair, bought the venerable establishment in 1984.
“My grandfather made it into a Coors bar when he bought it from the prior owner,” Bair said. “He loved the bar. He bought it after he retired. He was bored in retirement and persuade the prior owner to sell the Buffet Bar to him.”
Ted Bair came up with the creative “Happy Minute” concept. Every day at 6 p.m., it’s two drinks for the price of one, and at 11 p.m., buy one drink and have another for $1.
That remains the same for New Year’s Eve and so do the bar’s hours, 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. It’s a long shift for Bair, who is also working when the bar is closed on Mondays.
“We do a deep cleaning every Monday,” Bair said.
“I’m here every Monday for that. People might think that we’re a bar, and so we’re dirty, but that’s not true. We do a nightly cleaning, and on Monday we take out the mats and bottles and do a big cleaning.”
The Buffet Bar is the epicenter of Bair’s life, besides raising two young children, a 4-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. There isn’t much time for vacation, but that’s fine with Bair.
“There’s not many off days for me and it’s challenging but that's fine,” Bair said. “I love it here. We’re this happy, dysfunctional family. We’re really good at what we do. The bartenders have to be knowledgeable and friendly to work here and they're always welcoming. It’s like a second home for so many people.”
Buffet Bar
538 E. Ninth Street, Tucson
buffetbartucson.com
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