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Benton Gets New Eatery With Alcohol |
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Thursday, 10 September 2009 |
Touchdown Sally’s, Benton’s newest restaurant, is officially open today, becoming Saline County’s newest venue with a permit to sell liquor by the drink.
A ceremonial ribbon-cutting was scheduled for this morning at the sports grill owned by Brad Gaston and Mike Robinson.
Robinson said the opening date was chosen to coincide with the beginning of the NFL season.
Both Gaston and Robinson have said they are looking forward to their careers as restaurateurs.
“This is a sports grill — strictly family-oriented — and we’re excited about it,” Robinson said.
Touchdown Sally’s sits in front of Tinseltown Cinema at 17332 Interstate 30, in the structure that previously housed Wengs, a Chinese restaurant. That business closed sometime in 2008, Robinson said.
During the remodeling project, the entire interior of the building was gutted, he noted. Saline Development Co., a business owned by Charley Phillips and Rob Winters, did the renovation work.
Decorated with hardwoods, stone accents and displays of sports memorabilia, Touchdown Sally’s includes numerous flat-screen television sets offering a variety of sporting events and also has “other TVs with trivia and games,” Robinson said.
The owners said Touchdown Sally’s isn’t just for sports fans but includes fare from a wide selection of appetites. Many menu items feature a Cajun flair but also available are BYOB (Build -Your-Own-Burger) combos, “secret recipe” chili, salads and sandwiches. The menu also runs the gamut in steak selections and also offers fresh seafood, gumbo, vegetables and desserts.
The restaurant includes private rooms available for parties, meetings and special occasions, plus Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art connections for laptops and presentations.
Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday.
Robinson said he and Gaston have been “working on this idea for at least a year, and actually we’ve been thinking about it even longer. It’s been a long, slow process, but we’re excited now and expect this to do well.”
The restaurant has a seating capacity for around 100 people, he noted.
“Hopefully, we’re going to have every NFL game available on every TV every Sunday,” he said. “We’ll have Buzz Time Trivia and a variety of video games with portable computer modules.”
The restaurant includes a game room for children, he said.
“We intend for it to be a very family-friendly atmosphere,” Robinson said. “We’d like it to be a miniature Dave and Buster’s,” noting that this nationwide chain was started by two Little Rock men.
Structural work on the building began around July 15.
Robinson said local residents are welcome to display school memorabilia in the restaurant.
Touchdown Sally’s is among the local restaurants offering alcoholic beverages. Others are Dizzy’s Grill & Bistro, Applebee’s, La Hacienda and Denton’s Trotline in Benton and Luigi’s in Bryant.
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