INDIANAPOLIS
-- In
July 2008, all Steak and Ale restaurants closed abruptly without
warning. The parent company, Metromedia Steak Houses, filed for
Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Carmi Bond was a loyal customer of the restaurant
located at 4302 S. East Street on the south side of Indianapolis.
He decided to purchase the building and reopen it under a new name,
the Polo Club Steakhouse. For those who have dined there in the
past, the menu remains the same with a few new additions and the
ambience was preserved.
Bond
is the owner of the Polo Club Steakhouse and Leah Woolen serves
as the general manager.
"We
have a lot of the great menu items that were here before that were
successful," Bond said. "The Hawaiian Chicken, the Prime
Rib, the great salad bar, the wonderful fillets. We've also added
a lot of items that have enhanced the menu like Chilean Sea Bass,
Stuffed Tilapia, a 20-oz. Texas T-bone, Maker's Mark New York Strip.
We've added a lot of nice things to compliment the menu that was
here before."
The
inside of the Polo Club Steakhouse looks just like it did when it
was a Steak and Ale. Everything was preserved from the past including
the tables, chairs, salad bar and dim lighting.
"People
here in the city love the quiet atmosphere," the owner explained.
"They come for special occasions, they come for great, quiet
dinners. We have a lot of regular customers that have come here
for years. We wanted to keep it as similar as possible."
Bond
has added some new special items to compliment the regular menu
options.
"We
run a Steak and Lobster special periodically, which is a great draw
for the restaurant," he added. "We have wonderful, wonderful
lobsters. They grill up really nice. We also run a Porterhouse occasionally,
the Chilean Sea Bass as a special. It does very, very well."
The Polo
Club Steakhouse also offers a lunch and an early evening menu. Both
come with unlimited trips to the free salad bar.
"We
have an early evening dining menu, which is very popular in this
city," Bond responded. "It's from 4 to 6 [p.m.]. It will
be Monday through Saturday. It has the salad bar and a lot of great
things. We are also open for lunch from 11 [a.m.] to 4 [p.m.]. A
lot of trade there from the local businesses that come in. We try
to satisfy everyone that we can."
The restaurant
is located in the same exact building from when it was a Steak and
Ale.
"We're
on the south side of Indianapolis, right off U.S. 31 and I-465,
right off the interchange, exit 2A," the owner said. "We're
in a nice, little strip center called Southern Plaza. That's one
of the keys to the success of this. They say, 'Aren't you in the
Steak and Ale building?' I say, 'Absolutely!' This is where we're
at. They said, 'Oh, I know right where you are.' It's a huge thing
for us to recapture that tradition that here's on the south side.
This building has been here for over 30 years. It started as The
Jolly Ox. A lot of people have been here. I even have an employee
who's worked for 30 years in this building."
Bond said
business at the Polo Club Steakhouse has been positive since it
opened in December 2008.
"It's
done pretty well considering the economy and the challenges that
are out there with everyone," he responded. "We're not
an everyday chain. We're kind of a destination restaurant so very,
very pleased with the first two years."
The owner
said he may open another Polo Club Steakhouse in the future.
"We
will see, maybe in the next year or two," Bond said. "We
want to make sure this one is on sound footing and look and see
what the market is doing and what the projections are for the restaurant
industry before we decide add a second one."
The Steak
and Ale brand is resurrecting across the nation. Five other Steak
and Ale restaurants have reopened other under names across the country
with a similar menu. In addition, Los Angeles-based Global Icons,
LLC. is developing a frozen food line with Steak and Ale dishes.
Other
former Steak and Ale restaurants that have reopened under new names:
Steak and Tavern:
27590 Orchard Lake Rd., Farmington Hills, Mich. (248) 929-5387
Jimm's Steakhouse
and Pub: 1935 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, Mo. (417) 886-5466
Gus's Steak and Ale:
5348 E. Lake Rd., Sheffield Lake, Ohio (44) 949-7553.
Metromedia
Steakhouses emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct. 14, 2009.
The company was renamed Homestyle Dining LLC. In addition, New York-based
Atalaya Capital Management bought the Bennigan's and Steak and Ale
brands in 2008.
"I
think what you'll find is it will evolve, it has to evolve,"
the Polo Club Steakhouse owner replied. "We have a lot of loyal
guests today for the Steak and Ale brand or the atmosphere. We've
got to draw new people. Reaching out into grocery stores could be
a possibility, enhancing the menus, maybe even adding live music
and things like that. We want to take what works and just keep adding
to it."
For those
who love Hawaiian Chicken or Prime Rib or the Spicy Grilled Chicken
Pasta, now there is another place to get it. Don't forget about
the unlimited salad bar and the honey wheat bread. Visit the Polo
Club Steakhouse at 4302 S. East Street in Indianapolis.
For
more information, visit www.poloclubsteakhouse.com
or call (317) 780-1711. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through
Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday
and Noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
