Bones Brothers Wings will open its first brick-and-mortar location at The Marcum, a mixed residential, retail and dining development in downtown Hamilton, according to co-owner Jim Dowrey, of Cincinnati.
The 2,000-square-foot fast-casual restaurant expects to open by December, he said. It will mark the next step of development for a business that started on a backyard grill and was tested for years at local bars and as a food truck.
“We have realized that after a few years on the road now that we definitely need to be more available to more people,” said Dowrey, a Fairfield High School graduate. “We’re just seeing the need to grow with the people that are enjoying our food.”
The business has grown with Hamilton, partnering with Municipal Brew Works, which installed a plug for the Bones Brothers Wings food truck to stay on site and grow a fan base among Hamilton's developing dining scene.
Dowrey owns the restaurant along with his wife, Lauren, as well as lifelong friend and saucemaster Bryan Reeves, of West Chester Twp., who created Bones Brothers signature sauce.
The restaurant will start off with six of the dishes featured at the food truck:
• grilled chicken wings
• boneless grilled chicken breast strips on skewers
• burritos
• grilled “sammich” — a grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with pulled chicken and Bones Brothers signature sauce
• fried red potatoes in a Parmesan sauce
• award-winning Chicken Bomb Nachos made with flour tortilla chips, limed and salted, and served with pulled chicken sauteed in Bones Brothers Original sauce, shredded cheese, signature pico de gallo sour cream and green onion.
Also coming over from the food truck to the restaurant will be Bones Brothers’ six signature sauces: Classic (a vinegar barbecue marinade), Asian (a sesame teriyaki sauce) and four original sauces in mild, spicy, hot and Scorpion varieties.
Added to the menu will be dishes the business has offered as specials, including Pig Wings, which is a pork skewer, as well as shrimp skewers and salmon-and-lemon skewers.
Dowrey said Bones Brothers Wings grew a fan base over the years that stretches as far south as Louisville, Ky. and as far north as Dayton. He said the business was approached about establishing a brick-and-mortar location by officials at Kenwood Towne Centre, Florence Mall and other developments in the region.
“There’s a whole list,” he said. “Honestly, we’ve had opportunities, but we really selected Hamilton because in many ways, Hamilton selected us.”
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