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Gracie's Restaurant set for Jan. 21 opening date
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| Danna Judd |
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
Benson residents and highway travelers will soon have another restaurant choice when Gracie's Restaurant on State Route 90 opens Wednesday, Jan. 21.
The building has an old-fashioned theme. Owner Maggie McEnery stuck with Benson's railroad heritage in building one of Benson's largest restaurants.
She named the restaurant for her granddaughter Gracie and said at the groundbreaking three years ago that she wanted a place that would make Benson residents and travelers feel welcome. She wanted it to be a place that would stick to the city's heritage and serve good food.
The menu has the feel of a Cracker Barrel, or the former Hidden Valley Inn Restaurant in Tucson that sold steaks and country-style meals. It features burgers and salads as well as entrees such as fried catfish and specials such as prime rib every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Other steaks, ribs and seafood will be served daily.
To start, General Manager Branden Epstein said they would only be open for dinner from Monday to Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
"We have no idea how busy we are going to be," Epstein said. "When you open up something this size, you want to make sure everything is perfect. When we get this first shift perfect, we'll go to the lunch shift."
To start, Epstein said they have hired about 65 employees and will add more once they start serving lunch.
The restaurant has a good location just south of Interstate 10 near two hotels.
Last week, as McEnery worked with Epstein to complete the restaurant, she was beaming with pride.
Besides a large dining room, the restaurant also has two rooms for private parties such as bridal showers, banquets, family gatherings and business meetings. McEnery laughed as she showed one of the rooms that isn't complete, noting that it would be called the brothel.
The facility also has a quaint bar that McEnery said would serve guests waiting for a table.
When asked about the almost-finished product, McEnery said she couldn't be more excited.
"I am so proud of this," she said. "Everybody saw my vision years ago, and they made it come to life."
McEnery, of California, also set up a gift shop at the front of the building where incoming guests will be greeted.
McEnery, who was working with her son Billy McEnery, said Gracie's is a family place. Besides being named after her granddaughter, she also included her newest granddaughter who arrived after construction started and other family members.
As guests walk into the facility, they see the family's footprints in the cement outside, and inside Gracie's photo appears in a large picture of a train at the front of the building.
Benson residents and highway travelers will soon have another restaurant choice when Gracie's Restaurant on State Route 90 opens Wednesday, Jan. 21.
The building has an old-fashioned theme. Owner Maggie McEnery stuck with Benson's railroad heritage in building one of Benson's largest restaurants.
She named the restaurant for her granddaughter Gracie and said at the groundbreaking three years ago that she wanted a place that would make Benson residents and travelers feel welcome. She wanted it to be a place that would stick to the city's heritage and serve good food.
The menu has the feel of a Cracker Barrel, or the former Hidden Valley Inn Restaurant in Tucson that sold steaks and country-style meals. It features burgers and salads as well as entrees such as fried catfish and specials such as prime rib every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Other steaks, ribs and seafood will be served daily.
To start, General Manager Branden Epstein said they would only be open for dinner from Monday to Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
"We have no idea how busy we are going to be," Epstein said. "When you open up something this size, you want to make sure everything is perfect. When we get this first shift perfect, we'll go to the lunch shift."
To start, Epstein said they have hired about 65 employees and will add more once they start serving lunch.
The restaurant has a good location just south of Interstate 10 near two hotels.
Last week, as McEnery worked with Epstein to complete the restaurant, she was beaming with pride.
Besides a large dining room, the restaurant also has two rooms for private parties such as bridal showers, banquets, family gatherings and business meetings. McEnery laughed as she showed one of the rooms that isn't complete, noting that it would be called the brothel.
The facility also has a quaint bar that McEnery said would serve guests waiting for a table.
When asked about the almost-finished product, McEnery said she couldn't be more excited.
"I am so proud of this," she said. "Everybody saw my vision years ago, and they made it come to life."
McEnery, of California, also set up a gift shop at the front of the building where incoming guests will be greeted.
McEnery, who was working with her son Billy McEnery, said Gracie's is a family place. Besides being named after her granddaughter, she also included her newest granddaughter who arrived after construction started and other family members.
As guests walk into the facility, they see the family's footprints in the cement outside, and inside Gracie's photo appears in a large picture of a train at the front of the building.
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