Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
By David Yarger
Tribune Editor
Some have known the location at 6935 Ward Road as JT Wheatfields or Jack Devine’s – amongst the many names. Well, get used to a new name for this one: Solidays.
Solidays Bar & Grille cut the ribbon to their new Wheatfield location Thursday morning in front of family and friends.
In addition, Niagara County Legislator Jesse Gooch read a proclamation from the county legislature welcoming Solidays to Wheatfield.
The bar and grill used to be located in the Town of Niagara on Lockport Road, but with sights set on bigger and better venues, owner Denny Soliday said the Ward Road location is perfect for his needs.
“I needed a bigger location (and) bigger kitchen,” Soliday said. “We do lots of catering, so I just needed a bigger location to be able to serve more customers and do more business.”
With the building being vacant from October to May, Soliday said the setting was actually pretty well in tact, other then some little fixes.
“(There was) a lot of cleaning. It sat unoccupied from October to May,” he said. “It was pretty much ready to go, just minor things. … This building is beautiful. The backbones are exceptional here.”
Of moving to the Town of Wheatfield, Soliday said the community has always been brilliant to him.
“It feels great. I love the area, love the community, love the neighbors and everyone treats us very well here. … I grew up in the Town of Niagara; I love Wheatfield. This particular location just happened to fall in my lap and I jumped on it,” he said.
As stated earlier, bars/restaurants have come and gone at the Ward Road location, many with varied success. Despite the struggles of the past eateries, Soliday held a high confidence that his brand will be in Wheatfield for the long haul.
“Dedication, good food – not saying any of the other places didn’t have good food; good service is a key factor, and persistence. I think we have all of that. … We’re not going anywhere anytime soon, I can guarantee you that,” he said.
Soliday also gave credit to his partners who helped him in the endeavor – head chef Jeff McMahon and partner Sean MacKenzie.
The menu includes a variety of, what Soliday called, “elevated” bar foods, such as starters like bacon wrapped asparagus, roll-ups and stuffed peppers amongst many others. It also includes a mix of salads, comfort food, cold and hot subs, chicken sandwiches, steak burgers, dinner options, pizza, wings, chicken fingers and the list goes on and on. There’s even a kids menu for the little ones.
For those looking to catch up with friends and maybe catch a game on television, Solidays has you covered with a tremendous variety of beer and liquor options. The games are always on TV, too, as this writer counted easily over 10 flat screens on site.
The indoor bar of Solidays.
With the Buffalo Bills season fast approaching, Soliday said the restaurant operates a 40-cent wing special from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.
Coming up, Soliday said the venue will host some live bands, including a live happy hour on Fridays. Solidays will host trivia nights on Tuesdays and Soliday said the restaurant will look to possibly host Sunday brunches in the fall.
Solidays houses a lower-level bar area, in addition to an upper-level seating area, as well as a patio bar and volleyball courts.
The location also houses some prime volleyball courts, which Soliday expects will be put to good use.
“That’s huge here,” Soliday said of hosting volleyball leagues. Locals can expect leagues to be posted in the coming weeks.
Locals can stop by Solidays any day of the week. The bar and grill is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The business opened up just shortly after cutting the ribbon.
For more information regarding Solidays, visit www.facebook.com/SolidaysRestaurant/.
Owner Denny Soliday holds the proclamation given by Niagara County Legislator Jesse Gooch.
From left, partner Sean MacKenzie, Denny Soliday and chef Jeff McMahon say cheers to a new beginning in Wheatfield.