There’s ‘something for everybody’ at J&P’s Tippling House

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

November 10, 2025

RIB MOUNTAIN – A new gathering spot for locals to relax and enjoy a wide range of drinks has opened its doors in Rib Mountain.

Since its grand opening in early October,  Co-owner Justin Bradfish said J&P’s Tippling House – located at 227460 Shrike Ave. – has “been busy.”

“[Our] clientele is giving a lot of good feedback, seems to appreciate it [and are] having a good time,” he said.

Bradfish said he and fellow co-owner, Phil Mueller, have long dreamt of opening their own bar and restaurant.

“I’ve been business partners with Phil for quite some time,” he said. “We’ve had the opportunity to travel together often, and when we do, we normally go and look for a nice bar where we can sit down, finish our work and enjoy a nice meal and cocktail.”

Noticing a gap in their hometown’s bar scene, Bradfish said he and Mueller took it upon themselves to build the kind of place they had always enjoyed on their travels.

“There [weren’t] a lot of options around Wausau like that,” he said. “So, we started looking at building or purchasing a bar, and we found a lounge that had closed six months prior. It kind of fit the bill as a turnkey bar for us to open up.”

After finalizing the sale of the Shrike Avenue property in September, Bradfish said he and Mueller spent a month upgrading the space and assembling their team before J&P’s grand opening.

“We did a lot of lighting upgrades in the bar,” he said. “We also brought in more TVs. It was more of a bourbon bar before, [with] more of a lounge feel to it. So, we brought more of a sports bar touch to it.”

Bradfish said the name J&P’s Tippling House is a playful nod to both the owners’ first initials and an old nickname for drinking establishments.

“We didn’t want a bar [that was] called a ‘bar,’” he said. “So, we were looking at other names for bars, and ‘tippling house’ is an old term for a drinking house, essentially. Then, if you look up the definition in the dictionary, it actually means ‘drinking habitually.’ So, kind of a little play on words there.”

Premium accessibility

Bradfish said high-end alcohol has been an interest of his and Mueller’s for quite some time.

“We like nice bourbons, nice wines and other spirits,” he said. “That was part of the reason why we purchased the lounge as well – we purchased the stock that came with it. So, we’ve got a very unique and extensive selection of whiskeys, bourbons, gins, brandies and tequilas.”

Drawing on their personal experiences patronizing restaurants and bars, Bradfish said J&P’s food menu is inspired by “staple items” they’ve enjoyed at a few of their “favorite spots” throughout the years.

“The menu we have now is much smaller than what it [was],” he said. “It’ll change throughout the seasons, but we wanted more of an upscale bar food menu.”

Bradfish said he credits J&P’s “really experienced staff” with bringing the bar’s food menu to life.

“We did hire back the old chefs who were [working] at the lounge, so that was really helpful to get the kitchen up and running quicker,” he said.

J&P’s drink menu, Bradfish said, features craft beers on tap and a rotating, monthly cocktail selection.

“We have a pretty large tap beer selection – all craft beers,” he said. “We have 14 [beer] taps, and those change up seasonally. Then we also have a monthly cocktail menu [with] 10 craft cocktails every month.”

Bradfish said all of J&P’s cocktails feature “staple items” from their liquor shelves, highlighted through the rotating menu.

“They all use premium spirits we advertise on our wall here,” he said. “We do have a pretty large wine list as well [with] every type of wine and several different selections for each type, as well as champagnes and proseccos.”

When deciding upon J&P’s offerings, Bradfish said he and Mueller were mindful of their clientele and price range.

“The [former] business was a little more tailored to higher-end [alcohol],” he said. “We kept the high-end options, but then also included more middle-of-the-road, reachable [options]… Not everybody can afford a $700-[pour of] MacAllan 33. So, we have all our domestics, rail drinks, seltzers, sodas and stuff like that as well – something for everybody.”

Staff, family, community

In addition to being business partners and neighbors – both living roughly 10 minutes away from J&P’s – Bradfish said he and Mueller both still work full-time in healthcare IT.

“We worked in health care together for a long time for a larger health system,” he said. “We hired a full staff here at J&P, so we are only managing [the bar].”

With five staff in the kitchen and six in the front of the house, Bradfish said his transition to juggling full-time work and bar ownership has been easier thanks to their support.

“It’s been tiring, but it’s actually gone really well,” he said. “We brought on some really good staff.”

Previous experience in the service and hospitality industry, Bradfish said, has also aided him along the way.

“I used to run a bar back when I was younger for a number of years,” he said. “I have quite a bit of background in what it takes to operate a bar and restaurant. So, that transition has been a little easier than it would be for somebody starting new.”

In addition to their staff, Bradfish said his and Mueller’s families have also offered help at J&P’s.

“We have a lot of family members who are [helping out],” he said. “My wife, as well as Phil’s wife, are pretty involved, and then Phil’s daughter is also pretty involved, [too]. She’s helping manage the business.”

Bradfish said J&P’s location was a key part of their plan, as he and Mueller were committed to owning a business close to their hometowns.

Additionally, Bradfish said the lack of direct competition in the high-traffic area made both Rib Mountain and the 227460 Shrike Ave. property perfect options for their first business.

“We wanted something local, [and] the location here is really great,” he said. “There really is only one other bar in Rib Mountain that we have for competition – the rest are more of a full-on restaurant. And, [we’re] right off the highway. So, the location is pretty awesome for a place like this.”

For more information, find J&P’s Tippling House – open from 11 a.m. to midnight seven days a week – on Facebook.