Proudly Serving Des Moines Since 1984
Home of the Halfie
Proudly Serving Des Moines Since 1984
Home of the Halfie
Cooney Hands-Off The Apron….
For the past 38 years Brian has spent most of his days building his business into a respectable Irish tavern proud in tradition and consistent in service.
What started as an idea from Brian’s summer job helping out at Holy Trinity to the reality of a bar on the east side of Beaver Avenue, Cooney’s has become a Des Moines tradition and the pride of the Beaverdale neighborhood.
Construction and a new corner convenience store forced a 2004 move across the street to the current location. The new location was built in the exact design and layout Brian had thought about for years. Over the years the place has made slight improvements but maintained its Irish tradition. As Cooney is known to say “we’re an Irish bar 365 days a year!”
Cooney’s has survived a lot along the way. From the move, through the end of indoor smoking, maintaining cash only bar and surviving the pandemic, Brian has made sure his customers were always taken care of. Over the years he’s welcomed many part time staffers from the Beaverdale neighborhood to the halls of the law school at Drake University making sure they all maintained the tradition of Cooney’s.
The weekday routined has remained pretty much the same from the beginning - morning cleaning and bank run then putting on a starched white shirt to greet the regulars at 1PM. The day saw Brian heading home at 6PM for dinner and a few hours with the family before returning at 10PM to see the night through to close at 2AM.
Maintaining a successful bar business for thirty eight years isn’t easy but can go by fast. It requires a lot of sacrifice, missed family events and travel opportunities. With the satisfaction of knowing he’s built a successful business there comes a time to ease away from the business and let the next generation carry on the tradition. It isn’t called retirement if you plan to be available for a few hours each week - let’s call it time management.
So on October 3, 2022 Brian handed off the apron for the last time as the owner. As has been the case it’s not without a plan. The next up in the ownership batter’s box is Joe Leinen, a nine year veteran of Cooney’s, with time spent at Raccoon River Brewing, Exile and most recently Beer Styles. Joe’s experience and Cooney’s training assure the customers of a smooth transition with the assurance that little will change as the tradition lives on.
As the book closes on one era of “North Beaverdale’s Finest” a new one is about to be written.
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