February 26, 2010
East Valley Tribune
D. Woodfill
Queen Creek Cafe & Sports
Lounge, a 30-plus-year fixture
in downtown, changed hands,
and the owner is planning to introduce
a new menu — or an old
one, depending on one’s perspective.
“It has a lot of the original
stuff that was taken out of here
about a year and a half ago,” said
new owner Larry Hoel, who purchased
the restaurant earlier this
month with his wife, Debbie.
Hoel is referring to menu
changes made by a previous
owner. The owner also tried
switching the name to Lilly’s
Grill & Bar.
Those changes, which included
some higher-price fare like
Boar’s Head meats and cheeses,
hand-battered chicken strips
and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches
made with rib-eye and
premium cheese, failed to catch
on with many of the restaurant’s
longtime patrons.
“We just heard from people
what they were angry about that
was taken off,” said Debbie Hoel.
“There was an El Dorado sandwich
… and hot turkey or hot beef
sandwich, things like that, so we
really waited a couple of weeks
and we talked to the employees,
and we talked to the customers
and listened to their concerns
and what they wanted on it (the
menu). So, it’s kind of a combination
of the first menu, the menu
that’s in here now and our old
menu from our other restaurant.”
Larry Hoel, who’s introducing
the new menu early next week,
said one of the ideas he has is to
expand the hamburger selection.
“We’re replacing the one
burger with (nine) different varieties,”
he said.
He’s also serving meatloaf and
what he said are the best pork
ribs in town.
Eventually, Hoel wants to remodel
the place, putting in more
parking, a patio and expanding
the dining room, which currently
seats about 100, while the adjoining
bar accommodates about 150.
“That probably won’t be for at
least three or four years,” he
said.
Sally and Bill Kruckow, a
Queen Creek couple who were
enjoying a couple of beers in the
bar Thursday, said some of their
favorites on the restaurant’s
menu are the burgers, catfish
and pork chops.
“The service is great,” Sally
said.
Sally, who’s lived in Queen
Creek on and off for about seven
years, said they didn’t know a lot
about the history of the establishment,
but “I think anything that’s
been here that long and goes
back to the old days is good.”
Larry Hoel’s no stranger to
the restaurant business. He
owned Joe-Joe’s Restaurant &
Lounge on Apache Trail between
Crismon and Signal Butte roads
in Mesa for 17 years before selling
it in August 2007.
“I sold cars for Horne Hyundai
for about two and a half
years, and I just found out that
it just wasn’t my cup of tea,” he
said. “The restaurant business is
in my blood.”
Hoel said he was also attracted
to the changing face of Queen
Creek. In recent years, the area
has gained a windfall of new retail
amenities with major centers
like Queen Creek Marketplace at
the southwest corner of Rittenhouse
and Ellsworth Loop roads
and The Cornerstone at Queen
Creek at the northwest corner of
Rittenhouse and Ocotillo roads.
“I want to be part of it,” he
said.
“It (the restaurant) had history
and potential and it had
the kind of customers — the
kind of people I relate to — the
meat-and-potato-type of people,”
he said. “(It’s) just a good atmosphere,
a friendly country atmosphere.”
Mayor Art Sanders said the
restaurant was once the only restaurant
in the town center other
than Rudy’s Restaurant at Ocotillo
and Ellsworth roads.
He said the building was originally
called Jim’s Restaurant but
didn’t know much else about its
history.
“We’re always needing a good
place to eat, so whatever they
can do would be appreciated,” he
said.