By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM – McDuff’s, 59 Market St., has a new owner who says he is doing extensive renovations to the tavern.

Nick Zirn of Potsdam has bought the tavern and the building with nine apartment units upstairs from Jody Wenzel, who owned the bar and building for about nine years.

“We’re revamping the main bar area. We’ve already started ripping it apart,” said Zirn, a 2000 Potsdam High graduate.

“We’re working on the kitchen, the new bar, making new seating. We’re hoping to expand the clientele,” he said, beyond the primarily college crowd the bar has been serving.

He said he is working to “clean it up and make it more reputable

The full kitchen will serve “an Irish pub menu. We’ll stick with the theme but it will be fuller.”

He said he is also considering a full lunch menu, but it’s too early to commit to that.

He is planning on having acoustic music for Friday happy hour, and will host occasional bands.

There is dance floor downstairs which will be hosted by a DJ.

Zirn began working in food service at 16 when he got a job working for Potsdam restaurateur Larry Hazen. Since then he has studied culinary arts at Paul Smith’s College, business at SUNY Canton, and is working on his accounting masters degree.

His full-time manager is Nate Laclair, and Zirn says he expects to have about 20 full- and part-time workers during the school year and perhaps 10 over the summer.