CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Business partners Christina DeCelle and Chris Eaton last year bought a 23-year-old Carmichael institution known as Johnny’s Club 53. Trade had been slowed by the pandemic and the biker-favorite bar was, politely speaking, much in need of love.

A new theme, new decor and 15 large TVs later, Johnny’s was recently reborn as a sports bar the owners call Time Out Tavern. “The name has sports connotations,” notes Eaton. “But it’s also time you take to sit back and relax. Yeah, it’s still a dive bar "' we don’t consider that term a negative. We’ve taken care to keep a neighborhood atmosphere that regulars love. They’re still coming in. But they’re a more mixed group now. We’ve only heard positive comments from them.”

Retired police sergeant Eaton keeps his Harley Davidson parked outside. “Bikers, still come,” he says. “But my being a former cop has advantages. We don’t have fights here. As with most Carmichael businesses, the homeless population is a problem. But we’re on top of it.”

Opening weekend saw the bar packed, with Carmichael rockers Wasted Space playing for a crowd of 150. Co-owner Christina DeCelle was hands-on, guiding newcomers to parking spaces. “Chris and I bought the business because we wanted to be in Carmichael,” she explains. “He grew up here; I was raised in Citrus Heights. We wanted a place where neighborhood people would feel at home.” Decor includes memorabilia from local athletes. Several, including baseball legend Dusty Baker and NBA star Matt Barnes, are San Juan School District graduates.

DeCelle owns several more hospitality-related outlets. Her Ben’s Barketplace supplies health food for dogs and cats. The entrepreneur caters with a food truck called Chronic Taco; she also owns Beach Hut Deli stores in Citrus Heights, McClellan and Auburn. Plans for Time Out Tavern include incorporating her fourth Beach Hut Deli there next year.

The tavern is her first venture with Eaton, who previously ran a Western-theme bar in Old Sacramento. “Chris rides a Harley Davidson, I drive a Tesla,” she jokes of their partnership. “We’re an odd combination but it works. He came to me last year with the idea of opening an Irish pub together in Lincoln.

“And here we are, with a dive bar in Carmichael. But we have great plans for Time Out and we love being part of this neighborhood.”

Time Out Tavern is located at 7630 Fair Oaks Boulevard.