If barbecue is the first thing that comes to mind thinking about LT’s Grill, owner L.J. Goldstock is hoping to change your mind.
LT’s Grill in Niskayuna is going to be shutting its doors after business on Saturday, Feb. 25, and when it reopens on Thursday, March 1, the doors will swing open to a newly imagined dining area and sports bar.
For now, Goldstock is keeping specific details hidden, but the dining area is planned to feel more separated from the newly designed sports bar. The changes are mostly driven by customer feedback he has received over the years, but he also wants to highlight his seafood and steak offerings.
“We’ve been here five years and we have gone through a lot of changes,” Goldstock said. “We’ve done those primarily for customers … so I have been listening to the customers to keep people motivated to keep coming in here.”
But one of the main things he wants patrons to see is what’s offered outside the barbecue fare the eatery is known for.
“We have redefined our menu to bring out more steaks, more seafood and more pastas rather than being known just for our great dry rub wings and ribs,” he said. “People don’t realize the steaks that we have, the seafood, the live lobster, the fresh pasta — all these things that we do have, they are as good or better than the barbecue that I have.
He said barbecue is “one dimensional” and people aren’t going out for barbecue as much as they go out for a “regular dinner.” To help drive more business, he wants to spotlight different tastes.
“We are a completely different restaurant from the first day we opened,” he said. “We have gotten smacked around a few times on some things that we have tried, not everything works, but we really paid attention to the customers this time in this rebuild.”
Keeping a family style restaurant is important, because many people see the restaurant it that way and know what type of environment to expect.
“The last thing I want to lose is that family atmosphere and friendly neighborhood place,” he said. “One of the things we are trying to do is make it even better for people and more comfortable.”
There is going to be a “totally different look,” but he said he’s excited to have regular patrons return and see it.
Goldstock said he posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page it would be closing Feb. 25, without mentioning the remodel, and he got the reaction he was hoping to see.
“People were scared as hell that we were going to be going out of business,” he said. “I want to see that, I wanted to see people’s interest to see if they pay attention.”
As a locally owned restaurant, he said he competes against the national chains that have a much larger marketing budget than LT’s Grill. Using social networking is one way he connects with his customers.
Being a true member of the community is also an important aspect of the business.
The restaurant has been active in some local charities and he said Goldstock tries to do whatever he can when someone comes in asking for help with a cause or fundraiser.
Once a year, he holds Feed the Families with the help of the Niskayuna Police Department, so local families in need can come into the restaurant and get a free meal. He also typically hands out around $50 in gift cards to each family to help purchase some presents or needed items.
“I am blessed, I still have a great inner family, very close knit family,” he said, “and I’ve always felt that if you are blessed with that kind of family and friends you should offer that to others.”
When LT’s Grill reopens on March 1, he plans to have a celebration with a free taste of new menu items.
