Robins to get its first restaurant

ROBINS - Lebowski's Bar and Grill is set to become the city's first restaurant early next year.

Construction has begun on an approximately 3,700 square-foot building in Robins Square on West Main Street.

Shawn Bodensteiner said the restaurant menu will feature burgers, wraps, salads and specialty dishes.

'It's something we've thought about for a long time, and it was about now or never for us,” said Bodensteiner, who will own the restaurant with his wife Nola.

Bodensteiner, who also is a general contractor and developer, said he has hired a management team to oversee some of the restaurant's operations.

A few years ago, Robins conducted a survey and hosted a number of focus groups with residents. One of the main requests was a family restaurant and bar and grill, according to Mayor Chuck Hinz.

'It really fits nicely into some of the research we have done,” Hinz said of the restaurant.

The Robins Economic Development Initiative, created in 2013, helped the restaurant become a reality, Bodensteiner said. Dean Helander, chairman of the REDI board of directors, said there is a lot of excitement in the community about the new restaurant and people are ready to see it open.

'It seems like every time I go out my door people ask me when that restaurant is going in,” Helander said.

Helander said he hopes the restaurant, along with the city's low property tax levy, will attract more developers to the area.

Bodensteiner said he hopes the restaurant will draw business from the cyclists who travel on the nearby Cedar Valley Nature Trail.

Bodensteiner added he is confident his restaurant will do well in town.

'There was a lot of buzz about it,” Bodensteiner said. 'Before the hole was even in the ground.”