Today marks the grand opening of Maggie’s Restaurant and Sports Bar, a new establishment located in place of the former Bunker BBQ on Marshall Street, after Maggie’s Tavern, a popular bar among Syracuse University students, unexpectedly closed its doors at its location on University Avenue last month.

Chris Raslan, general manager of Maggie’s, said the old location of the bar didn’t accommodate the expansive changes from bar into restaurant he wanted to make.

Raslan said he plans to open the restaurant’s doors today, but the exact time of the opening is still uncertain. A few loose ends still need to be tied, including the shipment of a few more TVs, some furniture, some tables and a few minor decorations.

‘I’m a very thorough and detailed individual,’ Rasland said. ‘I didn’t want to open without everything being done to my satisfactory and to my liking.’

The old Maggie’s seemed to consistently attract patrons who were mainly just SU students, Raslan said. He said he hopes the new Maggie’s will not only appeal to and serve its former crowd of SU students, but more ‘upscale’ patrons as well, in terms of age.

The new restaurant improves upon the old Maggie’s by offering a full lunch and dinner menu not available at the former bar, more room for people to sit down and enjoy themselves and an atmosphere that appeals to persons of any age, Raslan said.

‘This place has a full restaurant that is equipped to serve constant food throughout the day,’ Raslan said. ‘We now have a full kitchen and a unique menu that features food items not served on the hill.’

Unique menu items, Rasland said, include shrimp scampi, linguine primavera, Italian and Middle Eastern burgers not found anywhere else and Crazzzy Chris’s chicken tenders.

‘The uniqueness is that you can go to the order window and get whatever your heart pleases,’ Raslan said. ‘You can eat here or take it out. It’s your choice. It is an upscale improvement to everyone in the shadow of the Carrier Dome.’

Raslan called Maggie’s the ‘ultimate’ sports restaurant, equipped with high definition televisions and surround sound, NFL game packages and free wireless Internet for all patrons.

Another addition to the restaurant is a special V.I.P. room, which can be used for luncheons, banquets and other affairs, Raslan said.

After the opening day, Maggie’s will be open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. everyday, except on Sundays when the restaurant opens at noon.

Published on September 20, 2006 at 12:00 pm