Perkins has owned Tavern on the Corner in Kenwood since 2009. She purchased the West Chester restaurant formerly known as RJ’s Sports Pub last December, re-branding it as Blondie’s in October.
In the months leading up to the name change, Perkins worked to implement “slow and steady” changes based on community input to transform the business into a family-friendly sports bar.
“We revamped all of our burgers, added new appetizers and we make a lot of our food in-house now,” said general manager Kimberly Roller. “We have a lot of good choices and it wasn’t hard to do because it was all stuff we had (on hand, ingredient-wise), so we could put it together to make it better.”
The new menu includes “pre-game” fare, including Ultimate Nachos, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Jalapeño Poppers, Chicken Tenders, Fried Macaroni & Cheese and a Chicken Nachos Platter.
A “Build Your Own Fries” options allows guests to choose between crispy fry, steak fry or tater tots, then add a protein, cheese and topping.
The restaurant also serves homemade soup, soon to be gluten-free, as well as traditional and boneless chicken wings, salads and tacos.
Fifteen “Slide Into Home” sandwiches include everything from a Steak Hoagie, Classic Double Decker BLT and a Teriyaki Philly to Pulled Pork, Deluxe Grilled Cheese and Grilled Fish Fillet sandwiches.
Baseline Burgers include a Basic Burger, Patty Melt Burger, and Ultimate Bacon Cheese Burger, plus a Blondie Burger (burger patty topped with an onion ring, pulled pork, cheddar cheese and jalapeños on a buttered, toasted bun with barbecue sauce) and a Heartbreaker Burger (burger patty with ham, crispy bacon, Swiss and cheddar cheeses, served on a buttered, toasted bun).
Transforming the business also meant adding outdoor seating.
Gary Gilbert, 74, of West Chester Twp., said camaraderie shared by patrons of Blondie’s Sports Bar & Grill reminds him of the fictitious bar portrayed in the popular “Cheers” TV show
Gilbert said he dines at Blondie’s daily because “the food’s very good and it’s a family-friendly place.”
The restaurant will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. today and a grand opening celebration all-day Saturday. The festivities that day include all-day Happy Hour prices, a free appetizer bar in the evening, hourly giveaways and raffle prizes. A deejay will spin tunes from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and a “big prize” will be awarded to one customer at the end of the night.
Because the business is female-owned and predominantly female-staffed, it doesn’t give off a “guys-only” vibe found at some pubs, Perkins said.
“Plenty of females love sports, so we want to make them feel just as comfortable as males would as well,” she said.
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