The chef and operator of a popular Lake Tomahawk restaurant said that he has been in talks with the owners of the location of Bugsy’s Sports Bar in downtown Rhinelander about possibly leasing the space.

The property is owned by B&B Investments according to city of Rhinelander tax records.

Wes Harmon, chef and operator, of The Brick in Lake Tomahawk said he has been in the facility and is interested in moving his operations to Rhinelander.

“At this point, we-my wife and I-been in the facility a couple of times to look at it,” Harmon said. “Right now we are waiting on a lease offer. We have not heard anything in a couple of weeks.”

Harmon said the new restaurant will feature the same menu he is currently serving at The Brick which includes contemporary American cuisine.

“We are basically picking up our operations at The Brick and moving it to Rhinelander,” Harmon said. “We own the equipment at The Brick and will be moving it there.”

Harmon said he hopes to get a lease agreement signed soon so he can begin work on the new restaurant and give his current landlord notice.

“The new building needs cleaning, it needs painting,” Harmon said. “We also need to give notice to our current landlord.”

Harmon said he enjoyed his time at the Lake Tomahawk location but the rent payments were getting too high.

“We love our current landlords,” Harmon said. “But right now the lease is too high. We tried to buy the building about six months ago but we couldn’t come to an agreement.”

Attempts to contact a representative from B&B Investments were unsuccessful as of this posting.