Most restaurateurs buy their way into somebody else’s concept after deciding they don’t want to be executives any more. Charlie McManus worked his way up from washing dishes to become one of Tacoma’s premier restaurateurs, earning praise far and wide from food critics and patrons for menus created at the now legendary Primo Grill.

His next project â€" the Crown Bar scheduled to open in early October â€" will tap into a tradition that began in 1875 when his grandfather purchased a bar in Toome Bridge, Ireland.

“Hospitality is in my blood,” says McManus, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1979.

The Crown Bar â€" occupying the site formerly run as Gary’s Steakout on Sixth Avenue â€" takes its name from an establishment in Belfast that claims to be the most beautiful bar in the world. The Tacoma version won’t boast intricate Italian glass and woodwork, but it does have a painting of Steve McQueen hanging over a silver-painted rock fireplace.

Check out the full story in tomorrow's Weekly Volcano. â€" Paul Scrag