New operators to bring bar, restaurant, liquor store, event space to former Tea Steak House

By Jodi Schwan

Three brothers are bringing multiple offerings to the former Tea Steak House building, including a bar and restaurant.

Josh, Seth and Dylan North will be leasing the 11,000-square-foot space at 215 S. Main Ave. in Tea. They plan to bring back the Tea Event Center in one of the buildings and use the other for a mix of a bar and restaurant as well as a liquor store.

Since the Tea Steak House closed in 2021, the building has had multiple uses, including as a Boss’ Pizzeria & Sports Bar and most recently for a few months early this year as the Latino nightclub El Effecto.

Seth North, who also is a partner in The Bunker Bar in Harrisburg, had been looking for an additional bar with one of his brothers and was considering potentially starting up a new one. He saw Boss’ owner Jeremy Seefeldt post on social media that the space in Tea was available.

“I reached out last Tuesday, and the next thing I know, we were signing papers on Friday,” he said.

North also owns other businesses, including commercial cleaning, snow removal and floor installation.

“Small-town bars are a completely different vibe, but it’s fun,” he said, adding that while he and his brothers grew up in Sioux Falls, “I’m still very familiar with Tea. I have a lot of friends here that moved into the newer developments. I kind of fell in love with the little town, and I’m liking it even more.”

As soon as next week, he hopes to reopen O’Toole’s Casino & Bar and the Tea Event Center. A liquor store, North Bros Liquor, is planned for about a month later.

“We’re turning it into the first liquor store in Tea,” North said. “There are other places that sell liquor, but it’s either a gas station or grocery store, so we’ll be doing off-sale liquor and beer.”

The bar and restaurant will take at least a couple of months to open, he said. It will be called Titans Tavern, and the menu will be classic bar-and-grill fare.

“There’s been a lot of people in Tea who really want something like Tea Steak House to come back,” he said. “We have Squealer’s, but it’s a barbecue place, and people are wanting a place with classic Midwest food of steak, chicken, potatoes.”

He and his brothers have experience in several restaurants, including Buffalo Wild Wings, Old Chicago and national quick-service brands.

“We’ll be heavily involved for some time,” he said. “We want to make sure the customer service is there.”

He has started the hiring process and will hold walk-in interviews from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. today, as well as from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. North referred people to his Facebook page to contact him for additional information on hiring.