JERSEYVILLE — Todd Iverson is hoping to bring some Chicago flavors and St. Louis stylings to Jerseyville.
Iverson is the owner of Jerseyville’s newest restaurant, State Street Bar and Grill. The bar and grill opened at the beginning of August after Iverson and co-owner Carrie Jennings set the process in motion in February.
Iverson said he believes the restaurant, located at 118 S. State St. in Jerseyville, is “filling a niche.”
“We want to be the spot where people can come, hang at the bar, have a drink, or bring the kids in after the game,” Jennings said.
It’s not the couple’s first foray into the restaurant business, as Iverson said State Street Bar and Grill is the third restaurant they’ve owned. The most recent was Super Gyros in Bloomington, Ill., which was sold in 2012. They also own a retail shop in Jerseyville, Ruby and Ellie’s Dollarama, and when the property could be had for a reasonable price, Iverson said the couple jumped on it.
Like Super Gyros, Iverson said the menu will have a Chicago slant to it, featuring things like Italian beef and, of course, gyros. American staples such as burgers, hot dogs and soft pretzels are available as well.
“We’ve actually brought a lot of my recipes from (Super Gyros),” Iverson said.
The menu isn’t the only feature that Iverson hopes will distinguish the restaurant from Jerseyville’s other offerings. The business is one of the few bars in town that serves food, offering lunch and dinner, and Iverson said he’ll begin showing NFL games via the NFL Sunday Ticket package on Sundays while serving a brunch for football fans.
Coupled with “the coldest beer in town” and St. Louis beers like Urban Chestnut’s Winged Nut on tap, Iverson said he thinks he’s got something unique to the area.
“One of our employees said, ‘Geez, you’re bringing St. Louis to Jerseyville,’” Iverson said, adding, “We’d like to keep the dollars in Jerseyville. Jerseyville has a lot to offer. Everybody likes a new place to go, so we’re trying to draw people into Jerseyville. And the ones we have here, we’d like to keep them.”
The building itself is largely new as well. Formerly a Chinese buffet, Iverson said they gutted the inside, with little left untouched. The built the full-service bar from the ground up. A new coat of paint and the installation of 16 big-screen televisions later, and the restaurant was ready for business.
It’s still in its infancy, but for now, Iverson said they’re happy with the final product.
“Everybody wants to own that little corner bar,” Iverson said. “Well, this is a little bit bigger than the little corner bar, but we’re really happy.”
For more information on the restaurant or its hours, call 618-639-3663.
Nathan Grimm may be reached at 618-208-6451 or on Twitter @GrimmTelegraph.