New Timmy Lee's Pub Has Touch of Nostalgia
By Ryan Schlehuber

Tim and Diana Lee opened their new business, Timmy Lee's Pub, on US-2 in St. Ignace Friday, January 5. The place was formerly Miller's Camp.

Timmy Lee's Pub had not even opened, yet the place was bustling with patrons who had come to help the owners, Tim and Diana Lee, get their place ready.

"I didn't ask one person to help me," said Tim Lee. "They just showed up."

He and his wife, Diana, have purchased the former Millers Camp on US-2 in Moran Township. She is a Cheboygan native and former cocktail waitress. He is a longtime bartender in St. Ignace.

The couple's commitment to "always be more than just a server to the customer," she said, is their recipe for success.

"Everybody wants to hang out with Timmy," she said with a laugh. "When he comes in the door, people expect to see him, no matter if he's waiting on them, taking their plates, or serving them a beer."

Mrs. Lee tells the staff to follow their boss's lead.

"You can't just be a bartender, you have to be a friend," she said. "I want our staff to know our customers."

Tim Lee's sister, Tammy Lee, with whom he has worked for 15 years, and Diana Lee's sister, Tammy Captain, both now work at Timmy's.

It was a nervous excitement for the Lees and their staff when Timmy Lee's Pub opened for the first time Friday, January 5. The next day, food was offered at the restaurant for the first time.

"We put a lot of work into this place and we plan to do a lot more in the future," said Mr. Lee. "My wife has been a lot of help."

Mr. Lee remembers his wife painting 17 hours straight one night to get the place ready for opening. Mr. Lee and his supporting cast of workers put in 18 to 20 hours a day, from December 17 to opening night, reconstructing the interior.

The Lees purchased the building and the home behind it from Tom and Gelina Weldy. It was the Binger family of St. Ignace who established the bar and restaurant on US-2 years ago.

Mr. Lee is unsure how old the building is, but he was told by the Bingers that the original building was moved from Cut River to its present site just west of St. Ignace by horse-drawn drays.

Mr. Lee said many customers who remember Miller's Camp were impressed with the improvements made.

To honor former owner Paul Binger, he has named his twopatty bacon and Swiss burger the "Bing Burger." He even keeps the large, wooden cribbage board from the Miller's Camp days by the fireplace in the restaurant for his patrons to use.

Timmy Lee's Pub opens daily at 11 a.m. and offers a variety of food, including a fresh whitefish sandwich, burgers, pizza, and homemade soup and chili. The specialty dinner is planked prime rib, and fried fish and disc jockey entertainment is offered Fridays.

Timmy's also offers free nightly shuttle service.

Tim and Diana Lee have three children, Madysin, 9, Rachel, 11, and Lakon, 18.