“We are on our way,” declares Rahul Sharma, owner of the Clarion Hotel, “maybe with a limited menu for now, but we are working on a date to go to our regular menu.”
Since the Ground Round closed on the east side of the Clarion, the facility has been without a restaurant. Recently, there has been activity in the location that once housed a restaurant and bar, including cleaning and painting. “And now we are open as The Bunker Bar and Grill,” says Sharma.
The Bunker Bar & Grill is now open for lunch and dinner and continues to expand its menu. It is located on the east end of the Clarion Hotel on East Burdick Expressway, across from the North Dakota State Fairgrounds.
Opening with a limited menu
The menu today is not what it will be in the future. “I don’t want to go to full menu today and not be 100% prepared,” Sharma shares, “but I can guarantee that whatever we serve it will be of good quality, and of course we want to hire the right people, too.”
The new menu features burgers and melts, fish & chips, and Mission Combo Meals that include Freedom Fries and a drink. However, the menu will continue to expand “because we want to serve people food that they like and food that they want. I heard about knoephla soup, and how it is a tradition in this area. That’s just an example of something we’ll add to our menu because the people want and like it,” adds Sharma.
Renovations and room to grow
The Bunker Bar & Grill will open in what people will remember as the bar side of the old Ground Round, and that area seats about 100 people. “But we will eventually expand into the other area, the restaurant area, as we grow,” says Sharma, “and that area also serves 100 people, so we will have a possibility of 200 people.”
Re-opening a new restaurant required some work, according to Sharma, including completely updating the kitchen area to accommodate an American-style food menu. Guests will also notice the large-screen televisions and the completely remodeled seating area. “We really, really hope the community enjoys the Bunker Bar & Grill, and if they do we’ll be here long term,” adds Sharma.
Leadership and community focus
Carla Eveanson is the General Manager of the Clarion Hotel, Laura Berman is the Bunker Bar & Grill General Manager, and the Kitchen Manager is Nycole Frech.
Another unique approach by The Bunker is to offer special discounts and special days not only to active duty military and veterans, but also to first responders and teachers. “We call it serving those who serve,” according to Sharma.
Another feature will be a large Bunker Hall of Fame Wall, “where people can leave positive remarks about people in the area who have served the community. What good community neighbors want to say about each other. We are going to have an online submission, or people can actually bring articles and pictures and post them here on our board. If it’s negative it won’t be up there, only positive.”
