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THE KINGIFISH RESTAURANT : Transforming a Local 'Classic' Into One of Michigan's Only Authentic 'Tiki Rooms'.
By Robert E. Martin
One of the many custom tables that references Bay City's shipbuilding history
Formerly known as The Lantern and located in Downtown Bay City's
waterfront district at
1019 N. Water St.,
the newly refurbished facility is both the latest incarnation and manifestation
of a dream harbored by owners Greg Kimbrue and partner Willis Wells
since they first opened the restaurant back in 1995. "When
Willis and I first got here we didn't have the resources to render this place
the way we both envisioned it," explains Greg, "so like any business we had to
bide our time. Now I feel we've turned it into something that is more a
reflection of our personalities, as opposed to what we inherited from another
owner." With an expansive indoor facility and a restaurant that seats 250 people outdoors alone, and affords docking for 15 boats, patrons kept encouraging the duo to develop the facility into a bona fide Tiki Bar. "I
never really knew what a Tiki bar was," continues Greg, "because I was too young
and missed all that, but started learned more about it and gradually began
collecting decorative items."
"Actually, there is a Tiki renaissance going on throughout the U.S.A, but there
isn't a real Tiki bar left in the state of Michigan," continues Greg. "One of
the most famous is the bar that was featured in Eminem's film 8 Mile,
which used to be called Chin's and was a wonderful showplace."
"Essentially, Tiki bars popped up after World War II when all the soldiers came
back from the Tropics and wanted to treat themselves with a taste of foreign
paradise. A couple of them evolved into national chains, such as Trader Vic's
and Con Tiki, but for the most part they bombed eventually because as the
excess of those eras went by the wayside, so did the Tiki restaurant. But as
with many things, what is once old is new again and consequently Tiki bars are
making a huge resurgence, especially with people from my generation." In
December, 2001, Greg & Willis made the decision to transform The Lantern
and developed a 13-month plan. They closed The Lantern on January 24,
2004 and re-opened the facility as Kingfish on St. Patrick's Day of this
year as a brand new restaurant, "much to the delight of people that never came
here anymore and much to the dismay to regulars that mourned the demise of a
buffet restaurant," comments Greg. Greg
& Willis never looked back after the transformation was complete and are
confirmed they made the right decision. "Business has been great and people
love the new theme," he notes. "We still aren't finished remodeling the exterior
because the new wooden façade has to dry fully, but soon we will be staining and
painting the wood and add some Tiki docks & totems so it will look more like a
tropical outpost when we're finished." In
terms of remodeling, new kitchen equipment & furniture have been added, all the
tables have been redone (many with a Bay City history theme centered around
shipbuilding), and an expansive new Tiki bar was built. "What many people don't realize about this facility is that it's one of the oldest operating restaurants in Bay City," continues Greg. "Back in 1966 it was known as The Black Hawk and then it became The Brass Lantern, and in '95 when Willis and I took over, we shortened the name to The Lantern with the idea that if it bombed as The Lantern, there wouldn't be that much ventured."
"Originally, we wanted to call it The River Rock, but the name
Kingfish came about basically through polling our customers for different
ideas. I wrote down hundreds of names that I liked, narrowed it down to five,
and then we started the survey. On New Year's Eve of this year we decided to
call it Kingfish and it truly does reflect more what we wanted in the
beginning. It's more lighthearted and full of personality. It's not a dark place
anymore, but a very bright one." In
terms of menu and food offerings, Greg says the best way to describe it is as a
'seafood restaurant with something for everybody, including a great children's'
menu.' "Our
signature items include a planked cedar whitefish that is baked in the oven and
served Jamaican jerk or Cajun style, and we also offer an outstanding Great
Lakes walleye that is a full one pound filet that can be broiled or deep fried.
People see that come out and you can hear them gasp," smiles Greg. "We
also offer Lake Perch and a nice marinated salmon with a citrus salsa. We've
always done a great job with ribs and have won many awards over the years. Plus,
another of our unique items is a new Cuban sandwich made from bakery produced
bread with sliced ham, shredded pork loin and pickles that serves as a very nice
and singular sandwich. We also do Florida beer batter shrimp and a nice
marinated chili-wine shrimp on a stick, and offer a couple of other unique pasta
items." "In
terms of 'specials', we've gone back to some of the heritage of the restaurant
by offering an all you can eat Sno Crab Dinner for $14.95 on Mondays, and
Tuesdays we offer all you can eat chicken, ribs, fish, or shrimp for $6.95 for
our 'old school' patrons."
"We're still in our infancy stages with the new restaurant and intend to
experiment more. In the Fall we will offer live lobster and see if the market
will go for it, but our whole approach is to take baby steps and do things right
instead of giant steps that result in doing the wrong thing."
"There is an amazing amount of competition for food in this market," ruminates
Greg. "Since we first opened The Lantern back in 1995 there are 46 new
restaurants in Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland, and that doesn't count the little
fast food places that pop up. This area in downtown Bay City has 12 independent
restaurants all running and in many towns, you won't find a single one.
Competition is significant. If you're not in there doing a good job, you're not
going to make it in this business. I feel we offer an establishment that isn't
expensive or fancy, but one that is comfortable that people can hang their own
hat on and feel it's their own. I think we've achieved that." Of
course, no Tiki Room would be complete without the remarkable signature 'Tiki
Drinks' that consist of a multi-faceted array of ingredients and are generally
served frozen in specialty glasses.
"Frozen drinks have always been a mainstay here," explains Greg, "so when we
make Tiki drinks we make them properly. We offer seven Tiki drinks on the menu,
but I can make another hundred if people request it. I've been at this my whole
adult life and started at Chi Chi's, which is one of the biggest frozen
drink producers of all. At one time I made 200 gallons of margarita mix and
thought I would pass out from the tequila fumes." "With
many of our signature drinks, such as the Rum Runner, the secret is in
pre-mixing it. That drink consists of 15 ingredients and you simply can't make a
good drink when the place is busy with people that involves 15 separate
ingredients. "We
also do an excellent Blue Marlin and old school Tiki drinks like The Zombie,
along with standard favorites like Pina Coladas, margaritas, and daiquiris.
Plus we offer new drinks like the 'Pain in the Ass', which is half pina colada
and half rumrunner. There's always new drinks coming down the pike." And of course, Kingfish still supplies one of the most expansive arrays of wine offerings in the area. Listed six years straight in Wine Spectator magazine as one of the nation's best sources for bottle wines, Kingfish offers over 600 bottles on display in the restaurant, and makes available 2000 different types of wine, the more expensive bottles locked up in the vault.
In
terms of entertainment, Kingfish is still committed to offering an
expansive schedule of live entertainment throughout the summer months. "When
we started here we did live music in order to bring people to an aged facility
that had forgotten about it. Entertainment was the horse that led the cart. But
now we've taken a step back and rethought our stance and still offer the full
gamut of live entertainment, only are approaching it in a more professional
fashion with affordable prices. We welcome peoples' advice on the entertainment,
but still offer the best reggae groups and entertainment that works with the
ambiance of the restaurant." "I
think that this business is like any business in that the challenging thing is
to be present ever day, hire good people for the benefit of all the good
customers, work together with the staff, and become part of the community,"
concludes Greg. "Our
goal is to provide people with what they come here for - good food, good drinks,
and a fun atmosphere. You have to fill the place up with personalities and the
toughest part is stepping up to the plate every day to do the things you know
you must do." In
addition to offering exceptional dining at a fair value, Kingfish also
offers an immaculate catering service that is generally busy six days a week. If
you have yet to experience the tropical fun and splendor of The Kingfish
Restaurant & Tiki Room, now is the time to check it out. It truly does
offer a mid-summer tropical escape that is good-to-go for 365 days of the year.
Below- The owners, Greg Kimbrue & Willis Wells. |
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