About

So four friends walk into a bar...

Kidding. Kind of. I would love to introduce you to masters of this madness that we call One Bourbon. 

Hi! I’m Meagan Freriks, majority owner of One Bourbon, a restaurant and bar on Bridge Street in Grand Rapids. See the handsome guy on the left? That’s Brett, my incredible supportive Husband.

The One Bourbon story is actually pretty straightforward. In 2015, a few friends and I were having a Friendsgiving, venting about work and joking, “We should just open our own restaurant.” Sip of bourbon. Everyone laughed, tossed around ideas, and moved on.

Except I didn’t.

I went home and wrote a business plan. I didn’t tell anyone. It felt like this foggy, unattainable dream — almost laughable. But I kept thinking, what if I could? What if I could convince my husband, our friends, our families? What if I could just DO THE THING?

Turns out, I could. And I’m pretty damn good at it, too.

Why One Bourbon? Why bourbon? Why comfort food?

The name comes from the legendary George Thorogood song, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.” It felt fitting — a little scrappy, a little rebellious, a little “down on our luck but still having a good time.” And honestly, a bourbon, a scotch, and a beer sounds like a pretty fantastic evening.

Why bourbon? Because it’s delicious — but also because I wanted a place that showcased spirits (especially the brown ones) and made everyone feel welcome. A place where you can order a killer cocktail or sip a lager without judgment. Drink what you like.

And the food? Grand Rapids has so many incredible chefs doing creative, beautiful things. I love that. We’re a little Southern roots, a little Creole spiced and a lot of love. Really good food, from scratch, at the best price I can reasonably sell it for. (We’re West Michigan people — we get it.)

In 2022, after the chaos of COVID, I bought out my former partners and became majority owner. They moved on to their next adventures, and I doubled down on building One Bourbon into what I always knew it could be. I run the front of the house and you’ll often find me behind the bar slinging drinks. On other nights, I’m in the kitchen cooking for the masses. My husband, Brett, helps whenever he can — and thankfully loves his USPS mail carrier job more than the stress of telecom life.

Today, I’m focused on building new menus, creating fun and innovative cocktails, and nurturing the kind of genuine hospitality that too often gets lost in this industry. For me, it’s about more than food and drinks — it’s about creating a place where people feel welcome, comfortable, and cared for.

More than anything, I’m grateful. We’ve built a team that truly believes in what we’re doing. If you haven’t met them, you need to. They’re everything — plus bags of chips.

So come by. Say hello. Meet us. I’d love to meet you.