(Rancho Cucamonga) – http://www.rcrda.us/ – Hang on to your hats all you urban cowboys and cowgirls…Toby Keith is coming to town in a big way. The country-western star will soon bring his restaurant concept – Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill – to Rancho Cucamonga’s Victoria Gardens Regional Town Center. The restaurant will be the latest in the growing chain of 11 country-inspired eateries and the only one in California.
Named after his 2003 number one hit I Love This Bar, the new Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill restaurant will make its west coast debut when it opens later this fall in a former 16,000-square-foot West Elm furniture store location. The restaurant will feature live music/concerts, western-style line dancing on a 750-square-foot dance floor, food and spirits. The 70-seat bar area will be fashioned in the shape of a guitar. Adventurous patrons can even try their hand at riding a mechanical bull, and souvenir hunters will enjoy the on-site retail shop featuring official Toby Keith merchandise.
When it comes to grub, Toby Keith’s is no chuck wagon. The restaurant will feature a diverse menu ranging from steaks and prime rib to chicken; seafood and specialty items like a catfish sandwich and spicy ground chuck; and a pork sausage meatloaf with chili sauce. The Southern-styleportion of the menu will also offer, among other things, red, white and blue nachos, chicken-fried steak, burgers and a fried bologna sandwich. Desserts include deep-fried Twinkies and sweet potato pecan pie with bourbon ice cream. A special late night appetizer menu will also be available to customers, which features things like garlic-fried mushrooms, jalapeno poppers and Toby’s Freedom Fries.
Keith, known for a long string of number one singles and a recipient of numerous country music accolades, launched his restaurant venture in 2005 when the first Toby Keith’s opened in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The brand has seen steady growth across the country in the north (Michiganand Minnesota), south (Oklahoma, Mississippi), east (Massachusetts) and west (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada — and soon, Rancho Cucamonga, California). Most of the restaurants in the chain (including the Rancho Cucamonga location) are owned and operated by Capri Restaurant Group,which purchased the master license agreement to build Toby Keith restaurants nationwide.
Construction of the Rancho Cucamonga Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill is currently underway and is anticipated to open before the end of the year. Its location within the Victoria Gardens entertainment area will compliment existing retailers and restaurants (AMC Theaters, Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, etc.), drawing further attention to the amenities within the popular regional center. Toby Keith’s will also provide approximately 150-200 employment opportunities for local residents.
For those in the Inland Empire and the greater Southern California region who have had a hankerin’ for a country-music-style hangout with great food and entertainment, the wait will soon be over. Sure, Texas may have Gilley’s (featured in the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy), but Rancho Cucamonga will be the new home of Toby Keith’s…and you can take your hat off to that “partner.”
Source – Rancho Cucamonga Redevelopment Agency. Keeping our business and industry partners up to date on business-related news and information in the City of Rancho Cucamonga.