BARTONSVILLE -- A restaurant in the Poconos that had its doors closed for nearly six months has reopened with a new name, new look, and new menu.
The Mountain Creek Grill is now open for business in Bartonsville. The restaurant formerly known as Big Daddy's has had a troubled past and now owners are hoping to freshen things up just in time for the summer season. The restaurant that sits just off Route 611 in Bartonsville was renovated from the ground up.
Big Daddy's BBQ shut down in January, changed owners, and now reopened with a fresh new look. It's now called the Mountain Creek Grill.
"Changed the concept a little and of course, changed the name, so now we're Mountain Creek Grill. No longer associated with Big Daddy's and we have new chefs, new management," said general manager Manuel Sacasa.
Big Daddy's originally moved to Bartonsville after a fire burned the property near Mount Pocono to the ground in 2010.
Customers say the old restaurant wasn't as inviting.
"It just didn't have a feeling, this, just from the outside, yeah this is nice, let me try it, and I'm glad we came in," said Rebecca Marston of Bartonsville.
The renovation, costing about $500,000, included a new sports lounge with 11 TVs and a comfortable atmosphere.
Customers stopping in at the Mountain Creek Grill say it's not just this new look that's impressing them, it's the new menu.
"Can I get a grilled octopus," shouted the cook.
"Well we've kind of gotten away from the barbecue theme and we want to be more appealing to a larger group of people," said executive chef Leo Kretchak.
The chefs say they're grilling up some creative dishes, including that octopus.
Annette Herlihy lives just down the road from the new restaurant, her lunch location for the day.
"Pulled pork mojito, it sounds so good," said Herlihy.
The Mountain Creek Grill is open seven days a week.
The new owners say the restaurant has created about 50 new jobs in the area.
