It’s been crazy since our opening on May 1. The biggest highlight of the opening was the loyalty of the customers who’ve supported us for 35 years. They were lined up outside the door at 8:30 the morning of the opening and we didn’t open until 10. Their support made the day really emotional. You do something like this so long, you don’t realize how much you’ve impacted people’s lives and how much they’ve impacted yours. I’m extremely grateful for that loyal support.
The other thing that overwhelmed me was everyone’s reactions to the building. I built the bar for longevity. I didn’t want it to be a temporary stop that people hit once and then forgot about. Judging by people’s reactions, I feel we achieved that. People are excited about the enhanced sports viewing and that the bar slides out on the deck and you can see four layers of TVs looking in. They’re also really excited about our three-season deck. It allows us to have live music even when it rains because two-thirds of our deck environment is covered. Having a vision is one thing, but having your vision hit home so strongly with your customers is another. Their reactions exceeded our expectations.
I’m grateful to have brought on a great friend and chef to partner with me in the kitchen. Jimmy Zanardi has a long history cooking and really upped our game. We wanted to stay true to our wings and burgers, but Jimmy added new items like a pork chop dinner, a chicken pot pie skillet, different types of salads, ribs, steak, stir fry, and burrito bowls—things I never envisioned. The Ultimate isn’t just a sports bar. It really is a sports bar and restaurant.
Besides enhancing our menu, we added a few more TVs (there are 75 total on premise!) and more beer on tap (20), with a mix of light, domestic, craft and import beers.
We also added more live music. Our new lineup is:
- Sunday 4-7
- Wednesday and Thursday 6-9
- Saturday 6-10
- Every other Friday 6-10
Stay tuned for some larger events coming in August. We’re planning an outdoor concert in the parking lot with the Fabulous Armadillos early August and a CML leukemia golf tournament for my son on the first Wednesday in August.
In the meantime, we’ll keep a cold one ready for you. Be sure to say hello if you see me in the bar. You’re the reason we rebuilt and do what we do!
