If you know Buck Burgers & Brew owner Ken Kozminski at all, you know at least two key things about him: He absolutely refuses to simply rest on his laurels…and he is forever in search of continuous improvement. Those key assets to any successful business venture have led Ken on another journey this winter which will delight fans of his upstairs space at the Buck.
Kozminski has just wrapped up a complete makeover of his upstairs bar area and it’s already drawing rave reviews from everyone who has discovered the update.
Ken tells me that the upstairs bar was originally installed in 2008 by the original owners of what was then known as Port 412. The bar height has always been 3-inches higher than normal, had no footrest and featured only seven seats. That alone made it difficult for people to find a place to sit. When you add in the fact that it was located in a busy hall passage leading to Ken’s ever popular outdoor deck, it proved to be a consistently congested bit of real estate within the restaurant.
On top of all that, the original upstairs bar area was shared by the same area that servers used to service upstairs diners, it was even more congested and cluttered.
Ken essentially elected to gut that portion, ripping out the old bar and starting from scratch to remodel the space it formerly occupied into a self-contained server center. That decision also allowed him to greatly increase the equipment and efficiency of second floor service to customers.
Built new from the floor up was a new horseshoe shaped bar in the area that was previously populated with softer-surface lounge furniture.
Now, with a completely re-designed layout, The Buck’s upper level sports a much more effective space utilization plan, a new bar that hosts double the seating capacity and additional standing area for guests to linger without ending up in the traffic flow of the restaurant. Servers and customers alike have more space now.
Ken’s new bar features a rough polished granite bar top, a rustic industrial look to match the rest of the restaurant with a corrugated steel bar front and finally a comfortable foot rail comprised of metal piping. Lighting for the new bar was created with the assistance of the Water Street Glass Works in the Benton Harbor Arts District, using howlers bearing the signature Buck logo.
Flooring around the bar is a combination of poured epoxy flooring and vinyl making a durable and clean look throughout the bar region.
Under the large flat screen TV on the wall, Ken has installed high top tables for guests, giving it a more upscale look and comfortable feel. Ken expects that especially during the fall and winter seasons, that bar area will become a popular hang out for hosting small parties and group gatherings, too.
Since the bar has become considerably more popular, it will now be staffed during both lunch and dinner and has already become a hot spot for those playing Team Trivia on Monday nights, and those enjoying live music every Wednesday through Saturday evening.
Speaking of music, since the very beginning The Buck has continued to feature live musicians each Wednesday through Saturday, one of the most popular of which was the late Carl Payne, who studied music at the notable City of David in Benton Harbor. A close personal friend of Mr. Kozminski and the crew at The Buck, Carl will be memorialized on March 22nd when the upstairs bar area will be dedicated to his memory. In fact, one of Carl’s guitars, handmade by him utilizing wood salvaged from House of David beams, will be framed and hung behind the bar.
On that celebratory Thursday, March 22nd, 15-percent of all sales at The Buck will be donated to The Logan Autism Learning Center in Benton Harbor to help them expand their parking lot.
This is far from the first time that Ken has taken advantage of the slower season to reinvest in his highly popular establishment. Every year since first opening up shop in April of 2012 Ken’s team has completed at least one significant project, keeping things fresh and new through continuous improvement practices. In fact, from March 12th through the 14th The Buck will once again shut business down completely to refinish the flooring in the restaurant’s kitchen and downstairs hallway areas.
Ken tells me, “It is our hope that we can continue to evolve the restaurant to better serve our customers and improve the overall hospitality experience.” He invites everyone to “Come out and enjoy some of the amazing daily happy hour specials on food and drink, and experience the new bar upstairs.”
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market shows the newly finished upstairs bar at The Buck, located at 412 State Street in downtown St. Joseph.
