[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=39672.19

Stop 50 owners plan new venture in former drive-in

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - Michigan City residents who remember the old Roxanne's drive-in soon will be able to recapture old memories in an updated form.

Soda Dog is opening the weekend before July 4 at 171 Indiana 212, where Roxanne's operated until the early 1980s. The new restaurant is owned by Chris and Kristy Bardol, whose Stop 50 Wood Fired Pizzeria in Michiana Shores opened four years ago and is doing well.

"I remember Roxanne's as a kid growing up," Chris Bardol said, "and it was one of those things we wanted to do."

Bardol, 39, calls Soda Dog "the baby," and the fledgling already is attracting attention. Last week, Phil Wennekes and son Trevor, 15, stopped by to find out about the transformation.

"We've seen it getting rehabbed," Wennekes said.

Bardol and employee Riley Burns were fully engaged in the remodeling job at the time of the impromptu visit.

"We gutted the whole place except the flooring," Bardol said. "The building is structurally sound. We're just improving the inside."

Carhops will serve 36 vehicles, and additional seating will be available at picnic tables and inside. Bardol doesn't expect to steal any business from Carlson's Drive-in in Michigan City.

"We go to Carlson's," Bardol said about his family of six. "It's a great place."

Bardol thought the northern end of town could use a drive-in, too, and believes the venue will be popular with Baby Boomers. And, he's following current preferences for natural foods, vegetarian options and green approaches to energy use.

Soda Dog will specialize in what Bardol calls "authentic hot dogs and sausages, and micro-crafted soda."

The all-beef hotdogs in natural casings are being made exclusively for Soda Dog by Kent Quality Foods in Grand Rapids, Mich. Bardol will make berry-flavored sodas from seasonally available fruit and eventually make his own root beer.

The ever-popular soft-serve ice creams and floats will be available. And every item will be made to order, Bardol said.

"There'll be no heat lamps," he said. "People's tastes are shifting, there's a sophistication of taste. Quality and uniqueness of product overcome quantity."

In addition to a commitment to high-quality food products, Bardol wants Soda Dog to be environmentally friendly. Employees will wear uniforms made of organic cotton and hats made from recycled 2-liter soda bottles. About 24 servers are being hired and 10 kitchen staff.

"A big thing for us is going green," he said.

After a year of finding out Soda Dogs energy needs, Bardol plans to convert to wind, solar and biodiesel energy sources. The biodiesel will be generated on site from recycled cooking oil.

Summing up his business philosophy, Bardol said, "I believe in doing one thing and doing it better than anyone else."

q

Soda Dog will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily April through October.

q

Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.