Randy Coffren, co-owner of The Royal Blue Bar, sat down with The News-Letter to talk about how the team came together, the dynamic they’ve built and how they’ve brought a retro vibe to life with a stylish interior and great bar food.
The News-Letter: I was reading about Royal Blue and saw that you and your business partner, Rich Pew, were featured in The Baltimore Banner and some magazines. Could you tell me more about your partnership — how did you two start working together?
Randy Coffren: Yeah, so there are three of us. Rich Pew and I have known each other for 20 years and have been business partners for over a decade. We own Snake Hill together. Then there’s Jimmy, who I’ve also known for about 10 years — we brought him on as a partner. So it’s the three of us.
Jimmy’s a gentleman. He’s usually the face of the place — if you stop by past 6 p.m., he’s the guy you’ll see. Rich and I focus more on the day-to-day operations. Rich also owns Johnny Rad’s, and together, we run Snake Hill. We primarily handle the behind-the-scenes work: placing orders, managing logistics and all that. Jimmy, on the other hand, is closer to a general manager. He’s the one here on weekends, running the place during the busiest hours — thankfully, because I have a kid.
N-L: How did you guys meet, and what inspired this business partnership?
RC: Rich and I have known each other for 20 years, like I said, and we’ve always done business stuff together — flipping cars, real estate projects, renovations, whatever. We always knew we’d end up doing something professionally together, and that’s how Snake Hill was born. That was back in 2014 — Rich bought the building, and we bought the business, then opened it in 2015. It all happened organically. We were friends for a long time, both into business, and it just made sense.
As for Jimmy, he’s always been in the industry — he worked as a bartender and managed places in Florida. When this opportunity came up, Rich and I were able to buy the building, and we knew that as we got older, we weren’t going to be hands-on operators forever. We don’t have the same energy as Jimmy, and we were already friends with him. He had been thinking about moving back up from Florida, so we called him and said, "Hey, we’ve got an opportunity. We’re buying the building, opening a business. We know you’ve always wanted something like this." We made it work, and Jimmy became a partner. He helped with construction and has been the general manager ever since.
N-L: It sounds like it all came together naturally.
RC: Yeah, and that’s kind of where we are professionally. Rich is 50, I’m 41, and we’ve been in this for a while now. Rich has had Johnny Rad’s since 2010. So now, our focus is on building a team. The opportunity we gave Jimmy was great for him, and it worked well for us too.
Going forward, whatever we do next, we’ll probably bring in someone from here or from one of our other restaurants — someone with that drive to run their own place. We’d bring them in as an operating partner so that Rich and I don’t have to be general managers, because we’re old and tired. I don’t see 3 a.m. that often anymore, but Jimmy does.
COURTESY OF THE ROYAL BLUE BAR
Next time you stop by, be sure to say “hi” to Jimmy!
N-L: Yeah, from what I know about the restaurant business, it’s a lot of hard work.
RC: It is. But we’ve been fortunate. With the success of Johnny Rads and Snake Hill, we’ve been able to step back from the late nights. We’re still at the businesses every day in some capacity, always on our phones — my phone is blowing up as we speak. But the goal is to keep growing and opening fun places while figuring out how to not be stuck in operations all the time. The ideal setup is having a general manager in place so we can just check in rather than running the day-to-day.
N-L: So specifically with Royal Blue, what inspired its creation in 2021?
RC: The year itself didn’t have much to do with it. We were very intentional about what we wanted to create: a timeless space. These days, everything is about “concepts,” but we didn’t want to overcomplicate things.
A lot of newer bars try to chase trends, but we wanted something that would still look great in 30 years. That’s why we designed it the way we did — it already has that lived-in feel. We didn’t go over the top with crazy designs or throw money at unnecessary things. It’s a fun, stylish spot that appeals to a broad audience. Even though we only serve bar food, we emphasize quality. I tell the kitchen all the time: Every French fry matters. I don’t want anyone getting lazy with anything here.
N-L: That makes sense. If it already has style, why change it?
RC: Exactly.
COURTESY OF THE ROYAL BLUE BAR
The Royal Blue Bar puts a strong focus on aesthetic design!
N-L: The year might not have mattered much in terms of concept, but do you think COVID-19 had an impact?
RC: Oh yeah, for sure. If you made it through the pandemic with your business intact, 2021 was a great year. It felt like the roaring twenties: Everyone had been cooped up, and when things opened up, people were going out like crazy. If you were in a good position after the pandemic, 2021 was a strong year for business. But in terms of design and concept, COVID didn’t really influence that.
N-L: Yeah, looking back, 2021 was kind of the perfect time, economically.
RC: Exactly. If the pandemic hadn’t happened and everything had just kept going as usual, I don’t know if this place would exist. Coming out of it, we were motivated to keep growing.
N-L: I also read that this space used to be an LGBTQ+ club. What was it like before Royal Blue?
RC: Structurally, we didn’t change much. This back area wasn’t being used because the roof was in terrible shape: it would literally rain inside. The place had a lot of charm, but it was dark: carpet everywhere, black walls. We debated just cleaning it up, but once we started renovations, we realized we needed to update it or we’d be in trouble.
One of the coolest things we kept is the bar itself: It’s the original. We lifted it up, fixed everything and put it back. And we were conscious of preserving the history of the space. The bar top, for example, is covered in flyers from the old Charm City Art Space, a punk rock venue next door.
N-L: That’s really cool. It definitely matches Baltimore’s bright, artistic vibe. Do people from the old gallery days still come by?
RC: Definitely, especially in the beginning. Some old regulars would stop in, reminiscing about the past. One guy came in while we were under construction and asked, “Is the pool still in the back?” We were like, “What pool?” Apparently, decades ago, there was an above-ground pool back there (laughs).
N-L: That’s wild! I also read that you guys had a great time furnishing the place.
RC: Oh yeah, I’m a master at Facebook Marketplace. A lot of the furniture came from there. Some of the big pieces came from Rust & Shine, a vintage shop in Highlandtown. They sourced things like the fireplace and the TV for us.
N-L: What’s your all-time favorite Marketplace find?
RC: Definitely the original couch. It was a vintage curved sofa from the ‘50s, and it fit the space perfectly. We kept it in the basement for a long time, thinking we’d get it restored, but eventually, we had to let it go.
N-L: That’s awesome. So, for college students, what would you say is the biggest appeal of Royal Blue?
RC: It’s affordable compared to most cocktail bars, and it’s a great place to dance on Friday and Saturday nights. The “disco pit” has become a thing, and it just works for the space.
N-L: Sounds like a great spot! Thanks for sharing all this — it’s been a really fun conversation.
RC: Of course! Glad you came by.
