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Tropical-themed bar and restaurant to open in Boardman next month
BOARDMAN
There soon will be a new place to eat, drink and be merry in Boardman.
The owner of Krakatoa Tropical Food & Spirits LLC said he hopes to open the bar by the end of October.
Jason Colkitt, 30, of Boardman, and business partner Lynn Sabeh, 29, of Boardman, are renovating the space formerly occupied by Happy Hour Bar and Grill, 7323 South Ave., in the plaza that also is home to Aladdin’s Eatery and Vintage Estate.
Colkitt said he could have opened the bar months ago because there was already a fully functional bar and dining area, but decided to renovate it to create a more social space.
“We just didn’t like the flow of it,” he said. “So we decided to invest the money to make it perfect.”
“You won’t recognize it when you walk in,” Sabeh said.
Krakatoa will have a horseshoe-shaped bar, a change that is designed for more interaction between people sitting at the bar, Colkitt said.
“We want the social interaction to be a key feature of our bar,” he said.
He described the theme of the new establishment as tropical. The bar top will have an LED panel that looks like lava bubbling under a volcano, and the menu will include specialty drinks such as the “High Tide” and the “Shark Attack.”
The name itself fits with the theme: Krakatoa is a volcanic island near Indonesia.
Colkitt said he envisions Krakatoa as a casual, laid-back place where people can meet after work.
“We want it to be a little bit classy, but very fun and playful at the same time,” he said. “We want everybody to feel like they’re right at home.”
Other features of the bar include USB ports under all the tables and at the bar, a “bubble” machine that mixes drinks in a way that makes the liquor colder, and two 125-inch Epson projectors.
As for the food menu, Colkitt said prices will range from $5 to $12, and that there will not be entrees for the time being. Sandwiches, salads, burgers, wings and other appetizers will be featured on the menu.
“We’re trying to mix tropical things with standard American pub grub,” he said.
Drink prices will be comparable to bars such as Buffalo Wild Wings, he said. One drink special they will have all day, every day is $3 for a 28-ounce draft, with the type of beer changing each month.
Krakatoa will have a different activity each night of the week: open mic on Mondays, game night on Tuesdays, free cosmic pool on Wednesdays, karaoke on Thursdays, a DJ on Fridays and Saturdays, and trivia on Sundays.
The bar will be open from 4 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., 365 days a year, and will have extended hours on Saturdays and Sundays during football season.
Colkitt and Sabeh said this is just the start for them. They are already talking about opening another location in Kent and possibly Columbus.
“I am very, very confident that [we’ll] do fine,” Colkitt said.