Pancha’s officially reopens with ribbon cutting, local cheers
Pancha’s officially opened up with flair and a rapid-fire ribbon cutting on Jan. 15 as locals and dignitaries gathered to celebrate with a clink and plenty of cheers.
Napa County Supervisor Anne Cottrell kicked off the welcoming comments, focusing upon the revitalization of a place that has been a part of Napa Valley history.
“In these really challenging times we know it’s so important to have a place where people can come together and be together and converse,” Cottrell said.
Yountville Mayor Margie Mohler, Vice Mayor Pam Reeves and Councilmember Robin McKee Cant also welcomed the reborn Pancha’s.
“Ren Harris was able to purchase Pancha’s and keep it going. This is the oldest business in the town of Yountville. Except for a couple of years during COVID and when Ren was revitalizing it, it was continuously running, and that’s really amazing,” Mohler said.
Mohler was sporting a vintage T-shirt that called Pancha’s the “last saloon in the Napa Valley” and shared that when she first moved to Yountville in 1998, her husband discovered the historic bar on a walk about town.
“After that, I was a regular here,” Mohler said, “I’ve launched several campaigns here. It has a special place in my heart,” the mayor concluded.
Ren and Marilyn Harris, the primary partners in the new Pancha’s, were welcomed along with other members of the Pancha’s team, including partner Paul Frank and managing partner Scott Lewis.
Ren Harris said, “I guess we got tired of people asking what was going to happen to Pancha’s; it was slowly going to crash to the ground.”
Adding, “I was never one to leave well enough alone,” he embarked on a mission to keep Pancha’s “standing, revitalized. And now an old part of Yountville continues, and I’ve got a place to go in my old age.”
“Ren is responsible for the quality of the lifestyle we enjoy here in Yountville and the rest of the valley,” Paul Frank said. “I don’t think that there is anybody else who has contributed as much as Ren Harris.”
Frank added that when Ren first bought the property he said he might clean the ashtrays, but other than that he would keep Pancha’s pretty much the same. “Behind every amazing man there is a wizard behind the curtain, that wizard is Marilyn Harris,” Frank said.
He also praised Scott Lewis. “Somebody had to carry out Ren’s vision to maintain it as the iconic, historic place that it is, and the meeting place where the community can come together, and enjoy it together, a place where everybody knows your name. I can’t think of anyone else who could have fulfilled this vision, other than Scott Lewis.”
“Welcome to Pancha’s,” Frank said, “We’re back!”
Ren Harris cut the ceremonial purple ribbon held by the line-up of partners and dignitaries, and the crowd filled the reborn bar, where they were offered a complimentary celebratory drink (red or white wine, or one of three beers).
Regular wines by the glass range from $10 for Pinot Grigio to $70 for a glass of Krug 171 Edition Grande Cuvée Champagne. Draft beers are priced from $5 for a PBR to $14 Hanabi; cans and bottles range from $5 to $8. Cocktails are priced based upon the spirit called, with specialty cocktails such as a French 75 at $15 per drink.
