Restaurant at Kennedy Center Nearing Completion Despite Setbacks

A new restaurant at Kennedy Recreation Center is well past the halfway point of completion and is slated to open March 1 according to a managing member of the restaurant group and acting general manager Ron Marcissuk.

Marcissuk said construction is more than three-quarters of the way complete and despite some setbacks the restaurant should make the anticipated opening date.

“The progress is moving along quickly,” Marcissuk said.

The restaurant is going to be called Legends 1926 Bar & Grill and is owned by The Kennedy Restaurant Group LLC. It had not had an official name in previous articles and was referred to as the restaurant.

Legends is located on the second floor of the Kennedy Recreation Center. Kennedy Recreation Group LLC leases the space from the City of Trenton for about $42,000 per year.

Marcissuk said the “Legend” part of the name comes from great professional and local athletes who have made a profound impact on sports and “1926” refers to the year the Detroit Red Wings were added to the National Hockey League.

Setbacks

Progress for Legends has not been without setbacks.

The restaurant group has applied for a liquor license, but Marcissuk said the license, if approved, wouldn’t be available until after the slated opening date.

“All of our paperwork is filed (with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC)) and we are just waiting for our review…we anticipate a delay from opening full-bar on March 1,” Marcissuk said.

A representative of the MLCC said the commission received the restaurant group’s paperwork on Dec. 22, 2011. She added it could take between three and six months for approval, which puts a realistic approval date sometime in late May.

Marcissuk said he does not anticipate long-term delays in obtaining a license.

The construction group building Legends, Brown-Schroeder & Company, Inc., of which Marcissuk is vice president of sales and client relations, experienced engineering setbacks installing windows and doors in a load-bearing wall and cost nearly $50,000 to complete according to Marcissuk.

The new windows and doors allow restaurant patrons to see ice rinks from inside the restaurant and access nearby suites.

Checked off the list

A large portion of the second floor of Kennedy Recreation Center has been gutted and a full kitchen is ready to be installed including a stone oven.

Although costly, new windows and doors in the restaurant allow for optimum event watching and suite access.

Legends has it's own wi-fi signal for patrons and new lighting makes the second floor of the Kennedy Center greener than ever.

What’s to come?

An official grand opening, though a date has not been selected, is in the works featuring sports celebrities who will make an appearance and sign autographs at Legends according to Marcissuk.

In the event the liquor license is approved, Marcissuk said the restaurant is expected to feature a full-bar with a beer and wine list comprised largely of Michigan made products.

More than 20 televisions will allow patrons to watch the big game and a sound system will make sure they don't miss any of the action.

Legends’ menu will likely feature family-friendly food items with gourmet hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, homemade soups, chili and several appetizers.

The restaurant’s specialty is said to be the stone pizza according to Marcissuk.

“It’s not going to be your typical run-though-a-conveyer-belt pizza,” Marcissuk said. “It’s going to be all hand tossed and cooked in a stone oven.”

Private party rooms are near completion and Marcissuk intends to bring in games and game tables for adults and children.

“It’s going to be a family environment,” Marcissuk said. “It really is. Even though there’s a bar that’s in the center it’s going to be a family environment.”

*Previously in this article Ron Marcissuk's title was inaccurate. The correct title has been added.