Group behind Bakersfield, Eagle, Krueger’s planning more local eateries

Cincinnati-based Thunderdome Restaurant Group is working on its third restaurant in Indianapolis and already has its eyes on more locations in the city.

Krueger’s Tavern, a German-themed establishment built around burgers, sausages, beer and spirits, will open late this fall at 323 N. Delaware St.

“We don’t have a hard date. We are looking somewhere around Thanksgiving or early December at this point,” said Ricky Tindell, who oversees Thunderdome’s Indianapolis restaurants and is a regional managing partner with the company.

Krueger’s will join two neighboring Thunderdome restaurants—the Mexican restaurant Bakersfield, which opened in 2013 at 334 Massachusetts Avenue; and The Eagle, a Southern-style eatery at Massachusetts and Delaware that opened in 2015.

Thunderdome operates more than 35 restaurants in 11 states. Its portfolio includes seven restaurant concepts. Besides Krueger’s, Bakersfield and The Eagle, it operates fried chicken restaurant CityBird; burrito/salad/smoothie restaurant Currito; Maplewood Kitchen and Bar, which offers West Coast-style cuisine; and sandwich shop SoHi.

Looking ahead, Thunderdome intends to expand its local presence. The company is considering various sites in the Indianapolis area for restaurants, Tindell said, although he declined to talk about concepts or locations.

“We plan on continuing to grow here in Indianapolis. It’s been a great market for us, and we love the city,” Tindell said.

The Delaware Street Krueger’s will alter the look of the property, which consists of a two-story building with an attached 2,700-square-foot garage at the rear. A paved driveway runs alongside the building to the garage.

Krueger’s is converting the garage into restaurant space and will take over a portion of the main building, Tindell said. The rear of the first floor—about 1,000 square feet—will be office and server space, and the kitchen will occupy the 800-square-foot basement. The driveway will be converted into an outdoor patio. Total indoor and outdoor seating will be between 150 and 160, Tindell said.

In other news this week: 

— Launching Station, a retail shop that carries veteran-owned brands, has opened at Hamilton Town Center in Noblesville. Its grand opening is set for Saturday. Owners are Michelle and Nathan Press. Nathan Press has served in the Army for the past 15 years—13 years in active duty, and currently in the Army Reserve.

Launching Station sells a variety of shirts, sweatshirts, purses and bags, coffee and barware—all of it from veteran-owned companies including 461 Veteran Clothing Co., Frag Out Clothing Co., Ranger Up, Rogue American, Nine Line Apparel, Bullets 2 Bandages and Sword and Plough.

“We view this store as a great way to connect the public to veteran partnerships and ventures mostly found online,” Nathan Press told IBJ. If this first store is successful, the Presses intend to open two more within the next 18 months. The store also intends to raise donations for veteran-focused not-for-profit organizations, Nathan Press said. 

— Between the Bun—Burgers Dogs & More has moved from downtown Greenwood to a new spot at 2222 W. Southport Road on the south side of Indianapolis.The new location, which sits just west of U.S. 37, is in the space formerly occupied by Teddy’s Burger Joint. Teddy’s last day of business was Sept. 14. Between the Bun opened in 2013 at 102 S. Madison Ave. Its last day of business there was Sept. 21, and the restaurant reopened in its new location on Wednesday.

— Ruth’s Chris Steak House plans to install a “smart pergola” to cover its outdoor patio at 2727 E. 86th St. at the Ironworks Keystone development. The open-sided patio structure will have a louvered roof, which will allow the restaurant to cover the patio when it rains and open the roof in nice weather. Having a covered patio will allow Ruth’s Chris to make better use of the 88-seat space, said Jeffrey Blair, chief operating officer of Hoosier Hospitality Group, which operates the restaurant.

Work should start within the next few weeks, and installation should take another two weeks or so, Blair said.

— Bob Evans has closed its 456 E. Elbert St. location, which sits just west of U.S. 31 and south of I-465. The restaurant’s name has been taken off its highway sign, and a message on the front door last week indicated it is permanently closed. Bob Evans’ website lists  16 other Central Indiana locations, including sites in Indianapolis, Avon, Brownsburg, Camby, Franklin, Greenfield, Greenwood, Lebanon, Noblesville and Plainfield.