[ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”14″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_imagebrowser” ajax_pagination=”0″ order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]Riverside Theatre has become a popular spot for more than just its award-winning performances, concerts and speakers – on weekends folks gather in the driveway for Live in the Loop, biding time before a show or simply unwinding with friends while listening to free musical entertainment by talented local musicians.
Last Friday night a crowd gathered for the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of the new Outdoor Bar & Grill, and as Managing Director/COO Jon R. Moses welcomed guests to the new and improved Loop Bar and Grill, he reflected on how “this little venture began five years ago with four tables and maybe 12 chairs.”
“This was Jon’s brainchild,” explained Oscar Sales, marketing director. “He realized that the experience of coming to the theatre starts in the parking lot. So if you hear music and smell food, you’re already in the mood for a good time.”
According to Moses, “Prior to all of the food and the outside bar, you literally pulled into the parking lot and crickets is all you heard. We could do better than that so we introduced the outside grill and bands.”
It was lightning that forged the next iteration of the grill experience when, after a bolt of lightning struck near the main doors, they moved everything under the portico and things really began to develop. Two years ago it became apparent that they needed to up their game to meet the demands of the growing following. An estimated 35,000 people have enjoyed food and drinks since they began entertaining folks at the loop. The weekend Comedy Zone and Howl at the Moon shows and burgeoning numbers coming for the free outdoor concerts created a need for a permanent structure.
“The community so loved this and we knew if we changed it we would destroy it,” said Moses, adding that was what convinced them to begin planning a permanent structure with the aid of Donadio and Associates, Architects and contractor Bill Bryant & Associates.
“This makes it a little more professional and we can handle the crowd better with this new setup,” said Heidi Waxlax, board president. “You wouldn’t know that this is a new addition. This was an unused space and with this setup we can really do this much better. People love to come here to eat and sit.”
Jimbo Carroll, owner of Café 66, has been serving up delicious dining selections in the loop since the beginning with a grill menu that includes steak and chicken sandwiches, an Angus burger, Jimbo’s smoked pulled pork, snacks and desserts. The bar offers wine, beer and cocktails, and for the summer Huckleberry Lemonade, Nectarine Dream and a Cherry Mountain Cooler keep things cool.
After the ribbon-cutting, many guests stayed to listen to the band East Harbor and enjoyed a bite to eat. Others caught the latest Dueling Pianos show or tried their luck at Vegas Nights, where players gambled at casino games with “funny money” to benefit the Riverside Children’s Theatre Scholarship Program for children.
