South Bend’s Iconic Oaken Bucket Bar Gets a Modern Makeover

Plus news on a change at Cappy's, the upcoming Bottlecaps & Corks, Paul Thomas, Paul Cataldo, and Jaylon Smith's ramen

A bar has been perched over the St. Joseph River at 1212 Ironwood Drive since 1970.

For most of those years, it was known as Hensell’s Oaken Bucket, heralded for its cheap burgers and beer, and decks along the river.

Times change and so do old establishments. Either that or they just fade away.

The Oaken Bucket went on the market in February 2020. Owner Diana Malstaff told the South Bend Tribune she would never close the place or change anything in the article the newspaper wrote about her putting it on the market.

About a year later, Kurt Janowsky bought it, adding to the portfolio of Navarre Hospitality Group. Renovations started. More recently, Drew Sachau has been overseeing an overhaul. Sachau is former corporate chef and director of operations at Market Fresh Gourmet Restaurants. That restaurant group owns and operates Corndance Tavern, Jesús Latin Grill, and Evil Czech Brewery, as well as some event and catering operations. Sachau was a key player in developing the flavor profiles at those restaurants. He left there in October and is now consulting.

Janowsky hired him in February to be culinary director at what is now called The Bucket. He quickly shrank the menu. “Let’s simplify the menu so we can focus on quality,” said Sachau. “We are refocusing. What is this concept going to be moving forward.

Chef Drew Sachau is overseeing a makeover of The Bucket (Photos by Marshall V. King)

So he’s changing a neighborhood bar with a great patio to something he believes will have broader appeal. That’s a risk, of course, and it has upset some folks. The Yelp reviews and a Facebook page dubbed Diners Against Navarre Group are taking aim at Sachau and Janowsky. 

Sachau is inviting media folks to come to try his food and listen as he explains the concept. 

While renovations that customers won’t see are underway, Sachau is changing what they do see on the plate and working to improve the service that delivers it.

He says he’s simply trying to provide great food, drinks, and service — the trifecta that usually leads to success. He wants The Bucket to be a year-round destination for the region, not just a summer spot for those who live in the River Park neighborhood.

It’s bold to bring in a “Polynesian pop” theme and try to capitalize on tiki culture and how Americans love it. It’s not hard to create a drink menu utilizing that theme but to do that with the food, he had to do plenty of research.