Cliff Rucker, owner of Worcester Railers Hockey Club and the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center
February 15, 2022
Compass Tavern closes as Railers owner commences $500K renovations
Photo | Grant Welker
The Compass Tavern in Worcester
By Katherine Hamilton
The Compass Tavern, a bar and nightclub in Worcester’s Canal District, closed Sunday, and renovations for a family-style restaurant began the following morning, said Eric Lindquist, a spokesperson for the project.
Cliff Rucker, who owns Worcester’s hockey team the Railers, has taken over ownership of the eatery, where he envisions a more family-style restaurant with American fare and an outdoor patio. The new business will be called The District Wood Fired Kitchen.
The planned remodel is estimated to cost around $500,000 and be completed by the Worcester Red Sox’ opening day at Polar Park on April 12, said Lindquist, who is director of communications for the Railers HC and the restaurant and entertainment venue Off The Rails in downtown Worcester.
Rucker also owns Off The Rails, a restaurant located between the Palladium and the DCU Center which is also undergoing construction for a country music venue slated to open around the same time as the new restaurant. Chris Besaw and Rick Araujo are involved as managing partners at both Off The Rails and the new District Wood Fired Kitchen.
Rucker owns the Compass restaurant property at 90 Harding St., which he bought for $2.1 million in 2016.
Compass Tavern was owned by David Domenick for more than seven years and celebrated its final day on Superbowl Sunday. It was closed Saturday due to staffing shortages, according to a Facebook post.
Domenick owned another Worcester nightclub, Sh-Booms, before opening Compass Tavern.
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