UPDATE: Vacant Hays restaurant being remodeled into pit barbecue

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

A vacant building in downtown Hays is being remodeled into a new pit barbecue restaurant.

Hays businessman Jacob Profitt bought 110 W. 11th last week at a sheriff's sale. The building has been other restaurants, but was last occupied by German-themed restaurant Das Essen Hutte.

Proffitt said remodeling has already started on the building and he has hired a pit master with 40 years experience for the restaurant.

He said he hopes to have the new business open in December or January.

Proffitt said all of the meat for the restaurant will be wood smoked fresh daily.

"Great pit barbecue is something that Hays has never had, and we have a pit master who is phenomenal," Proffitt said.

The restaurant will also offer traditional barbecue sides.

The name of the new restaurant will be Brick Rockin' BBQ.

The rock 'n' roll theme comes from the building's musical history. It was a record store between about 1920 and 1940.

This not Proffitt's first foray into local food.

Proffitt also owns Kitsune Asian Creations, The Uptown Fox, Taco Grande restaurants in Russell and Hays, Auman Co. and Team prophecy MMA. He is a co-owner of Tiger Burger and Munsch Fitness.

Proffitt purchased 110 W. 11th for $104,401. The building was formerly owned by Plainville businessman Chuck Comeau and Liberty Group.

Four other properties also once owned by Comeau were sold at the sale.

Realtor Adam Pray bought four properties that were sold together for a total of $259,201. They include 1107-1109 and 1111 Main St. and 106 W. 12th St.

The storefronts at 1107 Main St. and 106 W. 12th St. are vacant. The buildings at 1109 and 1111 Main St. are occupied by clothing store Couture for Men.

1107-1109 and 1111 Main St. 1109 and 1111 Main St. are occupied by Couture for Men. — 1107-1109 and 1111 Main St. 1109 and 1111 Main St. are occupied by Couture for Men.

Pray said he has signed a long-term lease with Couture for Men. One of the other properties already has a lease pending.

He said he is still considering options for the second floor spaces on Main Street. One option is Airbnb spaces.

Pray also purchased the former bank building at 1108 Main St. last year during another Comeau foreclosure sale. That will be opening soon as a Haunted Hotel for Halloween. Watch the Hays Post for more details on that to be released soon.

Emprise Bank was granted foreclosures on the properties. Bank of Hays was listed as a second mortgage holder on the properties.

106 W. 12th St. is south of the Hays Public Library parking lot. It was last occupied by the Downtown Hays Development Corps. office.

Thirteen downtown Hays properties also owned by Comeau and his Liberty Group were sold at sheriff's sale in October 2019.

Comeau’s furniture manufacturing company in Plainville, Dessin Fournir, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2019.