A new bar and grill is set to open this month in downtown Springfield, bringing “an upscale bar menu” that includes giant, 16-ounce soft pretzels and authentic alligator tail bites.
The Vault, located at 400 South Ave., will host a grand opening Oct. 27, with a soft opening two days earlier, owner Joe Zayac said. The bar will have arcade games along with classics like billiards and slot machines, and will begin to offer weekend brunch beginning in late-winter, he said.
The arcade games and slot machines will be housed in the vault in the back of the restaurant, which still stands from when the building housed a bank in the early-1900s, said Heather Hinkey, co-owner and Zayac's fiancée. The Vault will also offer karaoke multiple nights a week, Zayac said.
The Vault is another addition to a growing list of downtown restaurants and bars that have opened this year, including Lucky Time Chinese restaurant on Walnut Street and a second location of Jamaican Patty on Park Central West. The region is showing significant growth since the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, when stores closed for significant periods and mask mandates shuttered retail and restaurants alike.
“This was the only location in Springfield I would have chosen” for the restaurant, said Zayac. “This corner, by foot traffic, is the highest in all of downtown.”
Giant pretzels, alligator tail bites
The bar's layout will be divided to have two different environments: One that will be “relaxed, welcoming, and inviting” to the business community and the other more sports-focused and will house all the games, Zayac said.
Chefs created the menu specifically for the Vault, to “bring a lot of items that aren't here,” Zayac said. The food will be authentic and fresh — like the alligator tail bites, which will be flash-frozen and seasoned in Louisiana. The giant pretzels will also be unique, as the 16-ounce biscuit will be served on stainless-steel hooks and wooden plates, he said.
The menu is “leaning more toward the sharable side,” Zayac said. “It's what's popular now.”
A chef will come in and train all of the kitchen staff ahead of opening, Zayac said. The restaurant will employ about 10 people and the hiring efforts are almost complete, he said.
Zayac is planning all kinds of other specials for the future as well. On Sundays, there will be wing and beer specials, he said. Brunch will be offered on weekends beginning in late-winter, and for one set price you will get a meal and two drinks like mimosas or bloody marys.
The soft opening will be a private event on Oct. 25 from 5-9 p.m. After that, the bar will open to the public for a test run before its grand opening two days later, when the restaurant will open to the public at 11 a.m., Zayac said.
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