Shooters in Cleveland’s Flats West Bank to Reopen March 18 After Two-Year Renovation Pause
A long-closed waterfront venue returns with new ownership and a rebuilt footprint
Shooters, the long-running restaurant and bar on the Flats West Bank, is scheduled to reopen on March 18, ending a shutdown that has lasted roughly two years as the property underwent a major renovation and operational reset. The business occupies a two-level space at 1148 Main Ave., a riverfront site inside the Sugar Warehouse complex near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River.
The reopening follows a change in control after the prior owner, Roger Loecy, sold the business in a deal reached after an extended negotiation period. The new ownership group includes Cleveland-raised musician Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), whose involvement has been tied to a broader repositioning of the venue under the “Shooters Yacht Club” branding.
What has changed: structure, layout and menu direction
The reopening comes after extensive construction work that included replacing exterior decks and reworking major sections of the building’s interior. The renovation has been framed as a comprehensive redesign rather than a cosmetic refresh, with the goal of modernizing spaces that had evolved over decades of seasonal crowds, live music and heavy weekend traffic.
Operational planning for the revamped Shooters includes a menu positioned around shareable bar-and-waterfront staples rather than traditional fine-dining entrées. Items signaled for the relaunch have included seafood options such as oysters and shrimp cocktail, along with casual offerings such as smash burgers and other bar fare.
- Location: 1148 Main Ave., Cleveland (Flats West Bank, Sugar Warehouse)
- Reopening date: March 18
- Concept branding: Shooters Yacht Club
A venue with deep ties to Flats history and Cleveland’s summer economy
Shooters opened in 1987, built around a river-facing deck that became a signature gathering point for boaters and summertime crowds. Its longevity has stood out in a district that has repeatedly reinvented itself as nightlife patterns shifted between the East Bank and West Bank and as ownership groups consolidated or exited the market.
The venue also developed an identity as a live-music site, hosting free outdoor performances over the years and drawing both regional acts and nationally known entertainers. Its riverfront setting—freighters navigating tight bends, bridges, and industrial waterfront views—has remained central to its appeal and to the economics of seasonal hospitality in the Flats.
What reopening could signal for the district
The March 18 relaunch arrives amid broader efforts to stabilize and diversify Flats foot traffic beyond peak summer weekends. Shooters’ return adds capacity in a prominent West Bank location and restores a high-visibility destination near other entertainment anchors in the same building. With a remodeled footprint and new operators, the reopening will test whether a legacy name—paired with a reset concept—can capture both nostalgia-driven customers and new visitors as Cleveland’s waterfront entertainment market continues to evolve.
Shooters’ reopening will restore a high-traffic waterfront operation to a prominent West Bank address that has been dark for roughly two years.