The Rush reopens with bigger menu, new look
June 15, 2020
The Rush Bar & Grill reopened today after a top-to-bottom renovation following tornado damage last September.
The bar at Plaza 41 has broadened its business model too. It’s now offering a full lunch and dinner menu with a new chef, Jason Oren, who previously worked in Nashville.
“It’s awesome. It came together so nicely,” said co-owner Stephanie Grey, who bought the business with her husband, Al, in 2012. He managed it since 1993 when it was called The Gold Rush.
The new look is a more open layout, done mostly in red and black, with a full kitchen.
That allowed Oren to develop a menu of sandwiches, burgers, wings, appetizers and pizzas.
There are some nods to the twister that forced the renovation – including “tornado wings” with five house-made sauces and four house-made dressings – and a “cyclone chicken sandwich.” “The Twister” burger is an Angus beef patty with American cheese, pulled pork, barbecue bacon jam, coleslaw, tomato, onions and a sunny-side-up egg on a brioche bun.
And Oren drew on his Nashville background for the “Music City hot chicken” sandwich, a spicy marinated chicken breast tossed in “vortex” sauce and topped with sweet pickles.
“We wanted to still have a bar feel, but with a theme, so we combined the tornado with good bar food,” Grey said.
The enhanced menu also caused them to tweak the name to add “Bar & Grill” and led to the decision to allow kids before 8 p.m. daily.
The Rush will continue to host its popular dart leagues and karaoke nights, which will benefit from an improved sound system.
The plan is to open a patio yet this month, which will include more furniture and a TV.
The Rush held a practice run for staff over the weekend but still needs more workers.
“We’re needing more servers, bartenders and cooks with night weekend availability,” Grey said.
Hours are 10 to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 to 2 a.m. Sunday.
The Original Pancake House also reopened today at Plaza 41. Hobby store Warhammer reopened June 3.
Tuesday Morning, JoAnn and Pizza Ranch are still finishing construction.