Popular sports bar in downtown Belleville is about to reopen. And it’s hiring staff

Get ready to let the good times roll again.

After a five-week temporary closure, Big Daddy’s 618 is scheduled to reopen Wednesday.

The downtown Belleville sports bar took advantage of the post-holiday lull for continued maintenance and sanitizing.

“January is a slow time for us. It’s just a slow, slow, slow time” for most businesses in January and February, owner Scott Schmelzel said in a phone interview last month.

In addition to the tweaking and polishing and the cleaning, Big Daddy’s is “looking to add a couple [of] people to [their] already great staff,” according to a Feb. 7 Facebook post.

They are currently accepting applications and will hold interviews the week of Feb. 14.

Big Daddy’s will reopen in plenty of time to celebrate Mardi Gras with the rest of downtown Belleville. Those festivities will take place at multiple downtown businesses on Saturday, Feb. 26.

In that January interview, Schmelzel was excited about upcoming downtown events, particularly St. Patrick’s Day.

The St. Patrick’s Day parade and downtown Belleville’s block party take place Saturday, March 12.

Big Daddy’s 618 is located at 313 E. Main Street in Belleville. For more information about Big Daddy’s 618, visit bigdaddys618.com or the Facebook page, or call 618-257-0315.