Madison Avenue Sports Bar and Grill, formerly known as Madison Avenue Steaks and Chops, will be reopening its doors Friday. DAN and Cindy moved to Iola from Oklahoma in 2006 to open the restaurant.
The restaurant, owned and operated by Cindy and Dan Neal, shut down in 2011 when Dan became ill.
“He just popped up and said ‘I feel better, let’s get back to work,’” Cindy said.
Dan and Cindy made their home above the restaurant and have been looking forward to the day when the restaurant would be reopened.
“I have missed visiting with the people, we got kind of bored,” Cindy said.
As the restaurant’s new name indicates, the Neals have changed the nature of the food and environment to be more casual.
Dan said there will be a dining area, where dinner will be served, but the emphasis lies in the sports bar.
What won’t change is the weekend special dining options. Fridays fried catfish will be served, from 5 to 9 p.m., Saturdays steaks will be served from 5 to 9 p.m. and Sundays fried chicken will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The sports bar will be open every day from 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., with the exception of Wednesdays when the restaurant is closed.
The sports bar will be fully equipped with a full-service bar, sandwiches and seven TVs, which include sports package channels, for sports fanatics to watch games all year long. The area is visually separated from the main dining area with mid-height partitions.
Cindy said she was leery at first of taking the risk of moving to another state but, “the minute we drove into town I said ‘this might work.’”
The Neals said they are proud to be giving fellow community members a place to eat and watch sports, along with providing part-time jobs.
“We wanted to make it so (community members) could come and hang out,” Cindy said.
They have kept the same chef, Steve Maddox, who has been with the restaurant before the Neals bought it.
“We really couldn’t have done anything without him,” Cindy said. “He has been a great chef and friend.”
Along with help from their friends, family has stepped in to alleviate some of the work. Bill, Dan’s bother moved to Iola to help with the restaurant.
Previous employees have stayed close friends and a former part-time bartender, Jerrica Mueller, now cosmetologist and owner of Tannery Salon, painted the new sign on the side of the building.
Twice a month Cindy and Dan will turn the restaurant into a nightclub, with a DJ or band playing music. The first event is scheduled for Dec. 15.
Madison Avenue reopens anew
