DICK’S LAST RESORT • Food & Drinks Served With Sides of Sarcasm & Colorful Entertainment

“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit but the highest form of intelligence” – Oscar Wilde

At its core sarcasm is all about engagement.  Sarcastic comments are like pickup lines that work best with our closest friends, assuming they are intelligent enough to accept the punchline. The more strong the bond, the higher the comfort level of appreciation for the sarcasm increases, which is what the newly opened Dick’s Last Resort & Cat’s Meow is banking on as it opens its doors to the Great Lakes Bay Region at its colorful and vibrant new location at 8845 Gratiot Road in Shields, which was formerly the home of eminently popular Shooter’s Sports Bar, Entertainment, and Comedy Club.

The 12th restaurant in a chain of establishments focused upon injecting a solid dose of fun back into one’s dining experience, according to regional coordinator Leana Lancaster, the idea for Dick’s Last Resort started in Dallas, Texas, back in 1985.  “Richard Chase opened a fine dining restaurant in Dallas but ran out of money and resources, so he found a little hole in the wall across the street and decided to open it up,” she explains. “It was his ‘last resort’.  He was a curmudgeon and kind of a grumpy guy that gave people a hard time when came through the doors, and it grew from there and has evolved into a well-oiled machine.”

With a colorful dining menu that consists of generous and deliciously prepared classic American items such as Steaks, Spare Ribs, Fish, and Chicken, and Pork Chops, other standout items include ‘Dick’s Spaghetti with Big Meaty Balls and ‘Dicks Huge 12-inch Meaty & Mouth Watering Wiener’, served with chili, cheese and onion, or just plain naked.’ 

You can also take ‘Dick’s Big Meat Challenge’, which includes two large steaks, the 12-inch wiener, a Macho Nacho appetizer, house salad, double portion of loaded mashed potatoes and a double order of Broccoli.  If you eat it all within one hour you get it free, but if you die in the process your party still has to pay the $79.99 tab.

Equally alluring is Dick’s Drink Menu, featuring top shelf brands and reasonably priced custom-crafted cocktails and highly creative beverages such as the ‘Big Dick Super 45 oz. Margarita, Boozy Milkshakes such as the ‘Caramel Bourbon’ made with Makers Mark, caramel sauce, and whipped cream, and $8.00 Shooter glasses such as Lemon Drops and the BJ Shot with coffee liqueur, Irish Cream whiskey and whipped cream that allows you to take home your own souvenir glass, which is included in the price.

According to Leana, after their first Dallas location, their second location was in San Antonio, then Chicago, followed by Myrtle Beach.  “We have twelve locations now and are getting ready to open one in New Orleans in the next month or two and then are slated for Fort Lauderdale next Spring. Each location is different and with the new Saginaw location we have about 35 to 40 staff members working.”

“As far as the menu goes, all of our locations showcase the same items and are consistent across-the-board, except that some of our menus will feature local favorites at a few locations,” she continues. “The location I manage in Indianapolis features a pork tenderloin that nobody else features, and some feature Mahi Mahi and different seafood items.”

One thing that is decidedly different about Dick’s Last Resort’s new Saginaw location is The Cat’s Meow, which brings an additional vibrancy to traditional Karaoke and DJ Music.  With a state-of-the-art DJ booth and colorful performance stage that could have been designed by Andy Warhol, according to Leana this concept is something that was brought into play by Harry Mohney, the founder of the Déjà vu franchise who recently acquired the Dick’s Last Resort franchise. 

“Right now we are trying out this concept inside the Orange Beach, Alabama resort, the Nashville location, and also with our location at the Excalibur casino in Las Vegas, as well as Saginaw,” explains Leana. “The notion of staging a Karaoke Bar is new for us, but the goal is to make it a more theatrical experience, so people aren’t sitting through boring karaoke entertainment. We have different costumes that people can wear and instruments they can use, so it’s a totally different experience.  We aren’t feature live musical entertainment yet, but it’s not a thought we haven’t entertained.”

On the evening of their August 8th Grand Opening, my own experience at Dick’s Last Resort was a raucous one.  Upon entering all patrons are presented with a big paper hat their servers create and place upon your head.  Mine said: ‘Body Built by Budweiser’.  When the waiter brought our glasses of water, he slammed them down upon the table, sprinkling in a few well-intentioned witticisms.  The ribs I ordered were cooked to perfection and the side of green beans ordered were hot, and thankfully not served lukewarm.

Indeed, it takes a special type of employee to work at Dick’s.  “It takes a certain personality to become one of our bartenders or servers,” explains Leana. “We don’t do traditional interviews and instead we audition people, to ascertain their personalities. Initially we were concerned we might have some staffing issues her in Saginaw, but we received 300 applications over a three-day period and 40 people showed up for our first audition.  We had them to some improvisational things and our training is pretty intensive, so each employee knows what lines not to cross.  We train everybody to have a good time and show them how to read people, which is something we’re all very good at.”

Check it out for yourself. For some rowdy roadhouse entertainment and tasty American cuisine  Dick’s Last Resort & The Cat’s Meow are open Wednesday - Thursday from 4 PM - 10 PM, Friday & Saturday from 4 PM - 11 PM, an Sunday from 4 PM - 10 PM.  You can reach them at 989-355-1330.