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Country music star Toby Keith once asked the world “How do you like me now?”
Come this winter, a themed restaurant bearing Keith’s name will ask Savannah diners “How do you like your steak?”
Savannah Mall will be the next home for a Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, a chain of country music themed restaurants. The 15,000-square-foot restaurant will be located on the Abercorn Street side of the mall near Bass Pro Shops.
The Savannah store is the chain’s first in Georgia.
“Savannah is full of country music fans,” said Frank Capri, owner-operator of 14 of the 17 Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar locations, “and in our strategic rollout in the Southeast, this is a great way to enter the Georgia market.”
The first Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill opened in 2005, two years after the debut of the song of the same name. Capri bought into the business in 2008, negotiating a master licensing agreement with plans to take the brand nationwide.
Today, the eateries are known for live music, cowgirl servers, guitar-shaped bars and a menu featuring “classic Southern dishes.”
The restaurant’s standing as a live music venue should be a boon for Savannah Mall, said the mall’s general manager, Phil McConnell.
“The entertainment portion is a big deal; that’s something our other restaurants don’t offer,” McConnell said. “We’re trying to push entertainment here at the center.”
Six existing storefronts will be combined to create the Savannah location, which will include an outdoor patio. Two stores will relocate in the next two months to make room for Toby Keith’s, with construction to begin on the restaurant in July. Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar should open sometime between mid-December and mid-January, McConnell said.
ABOUT TOBY KEITH’S I LOVE THIS BAR & GRILL
Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill is a chain of country music-themed eateries. Named after Keith’s 2003 hit single “I Love This Bar,” the restaurants are known for their lively atmospheres, highlighted by Whisky Girl servers, guitar-shaped bars and live music. Go to tobykeithusa.com for more information on Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.
