It's back: The Peephole will reopen 3 months after a car drove through its front door
EVANSVILLE – Almost three months after a man plowed a car through its front door and injured an employee, the Peephole Bar & Grill was set to reopen at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The bar announced the move on its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon in colorful fashion.
"CARMAGEDDON 2023. The sequel to Pandemic 2020-2022 where your bar survives a global killer virus only to (be hit by) a 'distracted driver,'" the post read in part.
The historic Evansville bar closed on Feb. 16 after 28-year-old Tyler Lee Wunderlich left Second Street and slammed his Chevrolet Malibu through the walls of the bar, coming to rest just short of the kitchen.
More: Peephole employee files lawsuit against man who crashed car into Evansville bar
Wunderlich has since been sued by Peephole employee Jeffrey Adams, who was hit and thrown backwards as he sat at the bar. He and his wife, Kelley, are seeking civil damages for "personal injuries, incurred medical expenses and lost wages," according to a complaint filed by attorney Neil Chapman.
Wunderlich wasn't charged with a crime. Evansville police only cited him for a distracted driving infraction on scene, and spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray said a "drug recognition officer on scene ... did not detect impairment."
But according to court documents Chapman provided to the Courier & Press, Wunderlich "tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine" the day after the crash.
Four days after that, prosecutors issued a petition to revoke in a previous drug case against Wunderlich, court records state. In 2021, Wunderlich accepted a plea agreement on low-level felony charges of possession of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a syringe. He was sentenced to a diversion program in lieu of jail time. He has a drug court treatment hearing scheduled for May 9.
The Peephole opened in September 1969 at 15 N.W. 2nd St. It moved to its Main Street location in 1972.
The bar celebrated 50 years in the community in 2019 with a huge party on Main Street, complete with live music, food and drinks.
Known for its cheeseburgers and cold beer, "the Peep" attracts a diverse clientele and often draws large crowds on nights when Ford Center hosts a concert or major sporting event – and on nights when it doesn't.
The reopening will put its employee back to work after months of limbo. The Haynie's Corner Arts District hosted a fundraiser for the workers and the Downtown Evansville Economic Improvement District promoted a "virtual tip jar" in which residents could donate directly to the employees' Venmo accounts.
The Haynie's Corner Brewing Company even hosted multiple "Peephole Takeover Nights" where bartenders Adams and J.T. Norris served drinks and customers could sit in the Peephole's famed patio furniture.
Now customers will be able to return to the real thing.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: It's back: Evansville bar The Peephole set to reopen after car crash
