Atomic Koi, Jade Monkey owner opening new place in Fitchburg (2024)

The owner of Atomic Koi in Fitchburg is opening another co*cktail bar in Fitchburg, 2 miles away.

Hawk Sullivan, 51, hopes to have Rusty Bee Lounge open by late June in a new apartment development called “The Arlo” at 5134 E. Cheryl Parkway being built by Avante Properties, his landlord for Atomic Koi.

The 2,300-square-foot Rusty Bee will have a different vibe than Atomic Koi and be “kind of whimsical,” he said, bright and white with lots of plants, sofas and a mural by Madison artist Audifax.

There’s an open space in front of the new place where Sullivan said he hopes he can have live music or movies.

Sullivan said his landlords asked him if he was interested in opening something there eight years ago before the apartments were built and he turned them down. Then, four years ago, they asked again and he agreed because he could see the beginning of the development.

Those plans were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At first, he said he was going to do a dimly lit, old-school throwback supper club place, almost like a speakeasy, called Finches. “And then the pandemic hit and everything was so depressing and dark,” he said.

As the pandemic eased, he decided he wanted a place that was “bright and fun,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with a dark and cozy place. I think Atomic Koi is a dark and cozy lounge, frankly, and this bright and whimsical, maybe. I want to do some pretty cool stuff in here.”

Early in the development of the site, the state Department of Natural Resources studied the area and told him to go ahead but advised him to plant some native bushes as part of the landscaping. The idea was to support an endangered species nearby called the rusty patched bumble bee.

“Bees are very important to our society,” Sullivan said. “Not everybody knows that.”

While there’s a bee motif in the bar’s logo, Sullivan said it won’t be prominent in the décor. “There’ll be hints of it, in a sense that there’ll be some honey stuff.”

Sullivan said he thought Rusty Bee also went well with the names of his other bars, Jade Monkey and Atomic Koi. He’s also owned Hawk’s Bar & Grill on State Street for 22 years.

Hawk’s is Sullivan’s only bar that also serves food. Rusty Bee, like Koi, will offer some light snacks. Sullivan said he designed the outdoor space with a power source for food trucks to be able to drive in regularly.

The co*cktail menu will focus on fresh juices, berries, tequilas and infused vodkas, he said.

Making Rusty Bee a restaurant too would have been a big headache, he said, adding that food and labor prices have gone up dramatically in the past two years.

“I’m glad the restaurant business is paying everybody more,” Sullivan said. “I pay more now than I ever have. And I’m fine with that ... Restaurant people have been underpaid for years. But it’s harder now to make ends meet with paying everybody more.”

Derek Wolff, who’s been at Hawk’s for 10 years, will be Rusty Bee’s general manager and have a 25% ownership stake.

Sullivan said Atomic Koi has had two of its best years in a row, which he attributes to great bartenders.

Star Bar, a co*cktail and craft beer bar on East Washington Avenue near Livingston Street, which Sullivan co-owned, was the only place he’s had to close.

It closed in 2021 after seven years. Its demise wasn’t due to the pandemic, even though, like other bar-only businesses, it was closed for most of 2020, Sullivan said.

He said it was tough to make it in an event-based area, with The Sylvee music venue across the street. The bar would be busy for about 90 minutes before a show, and it was hard to have two bartenders come in just for a short time, he said. “I don’t miss it at all,” he said.

Sullivan said Hawk’s has had a tough time Downtown, where he has to pay $3,000 a year to the city for his sidewalk cafe.

He said he’s not sure how long it will last, but his big focus now is on Rusty Bee.

“I’m not a fancy person,” Sullivan said. “This will be the nicest place I own.”