Duffy’s Tavern Restaurant and Bar Sold in Miami FL

The sale that Miami has been dreading is finally happening: Duffy’s Tavern, the beloved neighborhood spot where Miami gathered for beer, burgers and sports for nearly 70 years, has been sold.

The property at 2108 SW 57th Ave. in Miami, currently owned by Wayne Russell and James Fabbricatore, was sold for $4.5 million by 2112 Realty Corp. The buyer was Greenway Point, LLC, according to Kerdyk Real Estate, which represented the seller.

The sale closed on July 26, but owner Wayne Russell, who has been with Duffy’s since graduating from the University of Miami with a business degree in 1984, said nothing feels completely different. He’s still rolling out the daily specials list to tables full of locals (with a “bay view” drawn on the other side), serving cold drinks and burgers and joking with customers who have been eating and drinking at Duffy’s for decades.

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“I’m still working,” he said. “It doesn’t feel any different. Just another day at the office. But now I’m a tenant, not a landlord.”

The plan, he said, is for him and his team to continue running the business for the time being, “at least for the next five months.”

Trae Kerdyk, a senior associate at Kerdyk Real Estate, who represented the seller along with director of sales William Colas, confirmed that there was a plan for Russell and his team to run the restaurant for a while. He estimated their involvement could last as long as a year.

“Duffy’s will remain a tenant,” he said. “It could be a year or two — you never know what’s going to happen.”

The building was originally built as a private residence and was opened as Duffy’s in 1955 by Martin Duffy. It covers an area of ​​over 30,000 square feet, including the adjacent 3,000 square foot car building.

It has been home to Hurricanes, Heat and Dolphins watch parties, birthday parties, baby showers and business meetings. Memorabilia from customers and staff hangs on the walls and is painted on the tables, giving the restaurant a homey feel that is lacking in most parts of Miami these days.

But Russell, despite his gregarious nature, seems ready to let go, though he would like to see Duffy’s continue here in some form. His six-month-old granddaughter Olivia may be a big factor in his willingness to move on.

“I want to be a grandpa,” he said. “I want to do grandpa things. I want to write a book for her. I think I have five years to get that first chapter done.”