For the first time since the old Long Branch Saloon closed almost a decade ago, there is a country music dining venue in Vero featuring line dancing.

Boot-scootin’ lovers of country line dancing have been kicking up their heels these past two weeks since the Rowdy Rooster Bar & Grill opened in the onetime location of the iconic Patio Restaurant in Vero’s downtown.

The parking lot was packed on opening weekend, and some people were turned away because the venue was at capacity.

The atmosphere “was electric,” said Nichole McDevitt, who owns the tavern with her sons, Michael and Matt Burns, and her daughter, Brittany Aquaviva. “Everyone was having such a good time. It was just a feeling of community. The feedback has been great.”

The 5,000-square-foot building is a historic landmark, built in the 1930s by architect and early developer Waldo Sexton, who also built the Driftwood Resort, the Ocean Grill, and the Turf Club on 43rd Avenue, which most recently housed the Szechuan Palace Chinese restaurant.

During its heyday as The Patio Restaurant, the spot was a popular hangout for Dodger players during spring training and the dining public year-round. But since The Patio closed, a half dozen restaurants have failed at the location. The last one, the 19th Hole Virtual Golf Bar & Grill, came and went quickly, giving up in September 2023 after just six months in business.

Sadly, the golf bar guys removed many of Sexton’s antique fixtures and decorating features and sold them at auction.

“We would have kept all the history, but that’s over and we can’t change that now,” said McDevitt.

The Virtual Golf owners also added a lot of drywall and insulation because, without it, the building was too expensive to heat and cool, McDevitt said. Every wall was white before she and her family added back the wood accents, she said.

McDevitt’s son Matt created the menu, which features a variety of burgers, including the signature Rowdy Rooster Burger – two smashed beef patties topped with melted American cheese, a fried egg, bacon and caramelized onions.

The menu is rounded out with chicken fingers baskets, sandwiches, salads, wraps, wings, chili, nachos, onion rings and cowboy loaded fries. Eventually, the family hopes to expand the menu and the lunch schedule. For now, lunches are served Friday through Sunday starting at 11 a.m., and dinners are served Tuesday through Sunday.

The 700-square-foot dance floor is open Tuesdays through Saturday, with free dance lessons every Tuesday and Wednesday with Cowboy Bob from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Tuesday is family dance lessons night. “We’re very family oriented and there’s not a lot for families to do,” McDevitt said. She is considering the idea of closing the bar one night a week for a teens-only night.