Oracle bar makes big changes under new ownership
By John Hernandez | San Manuel Miner
Troy and Suzanne Letwak have taken over the old Don Juan’s Tavern in Oracle, AZ and turned it into a new fun place to be, called the Ore House Hilltop Tavern. They have done some extensive remodeling, enlarged the parking area and brought in old mine cars and mining artifacts from around the area. There are metal sculptures and even what looks like an old mine drift on top of the hill where the Ore House Hilltop Tavern stands. There is mining décor inside. They even have the original cash register used by Ada Mae Rhodes one of the owners of Don Juan’s in its heyday. “We want to go back to the basics of what this bar and the Tri-Community used to be,” said Troy. “It used to be about mining. Just because there’s no mine anymore doesn’t mean there are no miners.”
Troy said his wife talked him into opening the bar. They always liked Don Juan’s and saw the potential. They found themselves going out in town but felt they weren’t having any fun. “We decided to get our own place and turn it into someplace to go and have fun,” he said. “We want it to be comfortable, affordable and fun!” They hired a manager, Laura Fuentes-Bayardo who has had a lot of experience managing a bar. The Letwaks said they would have not bought the bar without Laura’s input and knowledge. “We knew nothing about running a bar,” they said. “Laura has hired some good people.” It made Troy and Suzanne happy that some of their friends volunteered to work on the place and helped with the remodeling.
