From The Ardvark to Common Ground, there is no doubt that TCU has seen its fair share of bar closings; however, a local bar is making a comeback this Saturday.

The Moon, originally located near Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, is set to open its doors by gameday. It will be taking over the space previously occupied by Mexican restaurant Americado on Berry Street.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Chris Maunder, TCU alumnus and owner and operator of The Moon. “But, I think we’ve pulled off something very unique, not only to the campus life but to Fort Worth. I don’t really know of a bar that looks like this.” 

Maunder has been a part of the local bar scene near TCU since his days as a student. He took over The Moon after graduation and believes he “knocked it out of the park”.

“I had an amazing staff, the music scene was vibrant, the TCU students were vibrant,” Maunder said. “It was kind of the perfect time to be on campus.”

In 2011, Maunder tried to expand The Moon to a larger location –unfortunately, his plan didn’t work out and The Moon closed.

Maunder took some time off, but back in September, he received the offer to do something with the space on Berry Street. After careful consideration, Maunder decided to reopen The Moon.

“It’s been a scramble,” Maunder said. “Thankfully, I’ve done this many times before. I’m really excited to be back on campus.”

The Moon has a spacious interior — up to 2,700 square feet for customers — but it also has almost an entire acre in the back to accommodate up to 1,500 people in a beer-garden type atmosphere. 

With such a quick turnaround, Maunder is thankful for all the support he has received, including from local artists and fellow TCU alumni. All the artwork in The Moon was created by Maunder himself or a local artist Katie Murray.

The Moon is set to open this Saturday at 11 a.m. with a grand opening party, just in time for kickoff. Salsa Limon and Austin’s Underdawgs will have food trucks on-site and the Baylor-TCU football game will be on the big screen. Happy hour pricing will be available all day long.

Maunder passed out limited edition koozies in hopes of creating a buzz about the grand opening. Recipients of the koozie will not only receive happy hour pricing Saturday but also each time they bring in the koozie.

Maunder is ready to be a part of campus life and give back to the TCU community in what he describes as “a new era for The Moon.” He hopes The Moon will be a place for current and former TCU students to come together.

“I just want to be a part of that campus and college experience,” Maunder said. “So as we do move on to other jobs, other states, wherever, when you come back for football games, you’re coming back to what feels like home every single time.”