The grill is owned by Travis Schleder and Matt
Knight. Making up their management and support team are Heather
Danley, Amy Wiedhunner, Nikki Schleder and Nolan Lesson.
The grill is located on the second floor of the Elks main building.
Guests are encouraged to use the outside stairway to the front door
where they will enter into the bar and grill area. Guests will be
greeted by wait staff and encouraged to find a seat of their choice.
Those seats may be in the front area, or if the diners wish, they
may pass through the bar and grill into the formal dining area where
they can enjoy panoramic views of the Elks Golf Course.
On Saturday a large crowd gathered to help Travis and Matt celebrate
their grand opening and be a part of a ribbon cutting ceremony. With
the weather being less than agreeable, the ribbon cut was held
inside in the formal dining room.
Matt Knight was the designated cutter for the ribbon cut with Travis
and Nikki Schleder standing to the right. On the left Matt was joined
by Heather and Amy on the left, then Mayor Seth Goodman, and to
Goodman’s left was Nolan Lesson. Also attending the cut were Logan
County Board member Kevin Bateman, Lincoln City Clerk Peggy Bateman,
Lincoln Alderman Ron Keller, Logan County Fair Queen Molly Schempp
and a large number of supporters and well-wishers along with members
of the wait staff for TK’s.
As an introduction to the ribbon cut, it was noted that the
restaurant is open to the public, which the owners and Elks Club
management wanted to stress. Many believe that the restaurant is
designated for Elks members only, but that is not the case. Anyone
who wishes to enjoy a really good meal at reasonable prices with
excellent and relaxing views is encouraged to spend some time at
TK’s.
The restaurant is the second such venture for Travis and Matt.
Travis is the owner of Stag-R-Inn in Emden and his best friend Matt
worked with Travis there as the kitchen manager. Now Matt will be
taking the lead at the new restaurant with Travis balancing his time
between this new venture and his place in Emden.
Matt Knight was the designated spokesperson for the
owners and management. He began by saying that he wanted to thank
everyone for coming. He noted, “This is way more than I expected,”
as it appeared that there were more than fifty people present, many
behind the ribbon, but several standing off to the side as well. “We
have put in a lot of hard work over the last several months to get
this place to look and operate as it is; so thank you all very
much.”
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It was noted that the Elks Club is actually located
in the county, not within city limits. However, it has a residual
effect on the city and benefits both the county and city. Kevin
Bateman spoke for the county. “On behalf of the county, this is a
good opportunity to expand on the business they already own. This is
another establishment in the county and let’s all support it.”
Goodman spoke next, “The Facebook comments and the
attendance say a lot for what you guys have already done.
Congratulations and welcome to Lincoln, we’re happy to have you in
Lincoln and we’re excited for you.”
With the speakers all completed the group posed for a picture then
participated in the traditional “three-two-one-snip,” Matt did the
honors.
Many of the guests stayed for lunch at the new business. The
Saturday specials included pulled pork and other great sandwich
items. From the menu, guests had the opportunity for a large variety
of sandwiches, salads and entrees. In addition, the restaurant has a
pizza menu.
Guests took advantage of the pulled pork special and added homemade
potato chips or fries, both of which were terrific. The fair queen
enjoyed the pizza, which was too much for one meal, so she took home
a doggie bag for later.
All around, the new location is really great. The décor has been
updated and the atmosphere is wonderful.
Amy Weidhunner noted that the Grill had actually opened earlier in
the week. For the soft opening, they encouraged Elk members to come
out and enjoy a meal. She said that helped to get the membership
reacquainted with the idea that there is now a good meal option at
the club, and also gave the new wait and kitchen staff the
opportunity to work through whatever issues might arise before they
have large crowds at meal time.
As many may know, keeping a restaurant at the Elks has been
difficult, but it may be because not everyone realizes that the
restaurant is open to the public. The location is great, the service
was very good on Saturday and so was the food. We encourage everyone
to go out and welcome these young people to Lincoln and enjoy a very
good meal.
[Nila Smith] |