Dear friends,

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After 42 years serving our friends and neighbors in Madison, Alt n’ Bach’s will be closing on March  28th, 2019. We have delighted in creating so many wonderful and close relationships with our customers, and are sad to say goodbye. But it is time for Bill and Kathleen to retire.

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Alt n’ Bach’s Town Tap, founded by Ken Alt and John Bach in 1975, has been run by owners Bill and Kathleen Bach since 1997. Now old enough to be considered an “establishment,” the restaurant and bar (or “tavern” to you old-timers) has been a labor of love for the families involved since it’s founding. We want to extend a special thanks to all of our present and past employees that have exemplified the welcoming atmosphere and feeling of Gemutlichkeit (yes, that sign that has been on the wall since 1975) to our patrons. We also want to thank our children, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews and countless extended family that have helped out over the years with everything from payroll to kitchen duties.

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This has been a part of our family since the beginning. We met here in 1978 and have worked here ever since, raising our three children while juggling managing the restaurant. Our children Maggie, Ben and Liz all worked here, with Ben managing the kitchen in recent years. We never did host a party for all the couples that have met at Alt n’ Bach’s, but if we did Maggie and her husband Johnny would have to be included. Liz has been a jack-of-all trades here since she was 14 years old. Ben’s new Burger of the Week ideas have been very popular. We have been lucky to have a wonderful location to host family reunions, Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners, and all sorts of other family celebrations. Our restaurant and volleyball court have played host to baby showers, retirement parties and everything in between for the community as well. 

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We will dearly miss seeing all of our regular customers over lunch hours, dinner hours, the volleyball season, and the annual events like the St. Patrick’s Day dinner. We have cheered and cried for the Badgers and Packers victories and tough losses along with all of you. Along with our family, we have seen your families grow and expand, and have celebrated with all of you along the way. We have made some great friends across the bar and over the dining room tables, and will miss seeing all of you on a regular basis.

Stop in for a burger and a cold one over the next week, and be sure to say hello to us! While we won’t be as easy to find on Friday nights (Bill in the kitchen and Kathleen in the dining room) starting in May we will have more time to talk with you, wherever you find us (hopefully on a golf course), and hope to keep in touch.

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Wishing you all the best,

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Bill and Kathleen Bach