Tempe-based comfort food community favorite, Badlands Bar & Grill, is taking up residence in the former Lone Spur Cafe at 22002 S Ellsworth Rd later this summer according to local resident Kayla Lardakis, who owns and operates the restaurant with her husband Peter.
“We live in the neighborhood and we’ve had our eye on this place for a long time, and we’re so excited to come into Queen Creek,” Kayla Lardakis tells What Now Phoenix. “Our kids go to school here, we know a lot of people in the area, and we’re just so excited to have another family-owned business out here too.”
News of the second location was first reported on Monday, June 5, by local media outlet Queen Creek Sun Times.
Lardakis says that folks can expect much of the same atmosphere that they’ve come to expect from the brand, including karaoke and “hopefully” live music at the Queen Creek location.
Meanwhile, the menu will also remain relatively unchanged at the start, with staples such as the Foot Long Chicago Dawg – a nod to the couple’s midwest roots – Kayla’s Meatloaf, the Roosevelt Sandwich, and Dakota Nachos all making an appearance. However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be room for innovation.
“Every neighborhood is different, every town is different, so we tend to adjust to what the neighborhood wants and needs,” says Lardakis. “It will start off very similar to the Tempe location – if not exactly the same,” save for the restaurant’s signature wood-fired pizzas given that the Queen Creek location currently doesn’t have a pizza oven.
Lardakis says the support and response she and Peter have received has been “amazing and tremendously positive,” adding, “we’re super excited to get in with the town and be on such a wonderful corner, with all the new things going on, we’re very excited to be part of that.”
