Masterson joins Chilli Bowl team
When the Chilli Bowl reopens Monday, patrons will find a world of changes in both offerings and design.
Owners Danny and Shawna Colwell have teamed up with Sandy Masterson to offer a more extensive offering of food and fun at the bowling alley.
For Masterson, the move required a good deal of time and thought.
“Sandy’s place (The Dug Out) burned, and after a long decision process by her, she decided she wasn’t going to open The Dug Out again,” said Shawna.
“Almost half jokingly, we asked her, ‘What would it take to get you in here?”
The idea did not take long to turn from joke to reality.
“A couple of days later, she came back and said she was interested, and we talked about what she would need,” added Shawna.
“My only concern was we wouldn’t have enough room for her following. She laughed at me when I said that.”
“That’s a real bad problem to have,” said Masterson.
“And I said, ‘It’s a good problem to have, but it’s a problem nonetheless,” Shawna responded.
By April, Masterson and the Colwells had formally decided they would unite in this new venture.
“Our next problem was how to make room without adding onto the building,” said Shawna.
Two under utilized storage rooms on the south side of the building behind the existing bar came to mind as a possibility.
“Danny and Colton (the Colwells’ son) knocked out the walls, put down carpet and continued the metallic, industrial theme,” said Shawna.
“We bought more tables and chairs, and now the restaurant can seat about 70 people.”
What will not change is the well-known Dug Out food offerings.
“The Dug Out menu has come to the Chilli Bowl, and the Chilli Bowl classic menu has stayed,” said Masterson.
Even many of the original Dug Out staff will also be on hand to wait tables, cook and fill in wherever they are needed.
“We’ll have a full staff in the restaurant — Brandon Carroll, Stacy Blaine, Josh Cooper and Angie Jeffries. It’s a team effort,” said Masterson.
The new restaurant will feature The Dug Out classic homemade, hand-pounded tenderloins.
Lunch specials run from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Just as the daily specials will vary, dinner specials, starting at 4 p.m., have been added as well.
Those will include dishes such as butterfly shrimp, grilled or smothered chicken breast, liver and onions, Monterrey chicken, chicken Parmesan and chopped sirloin with grilled onions. All of these will be served with a potato and one trip to the salad bar.
There are even country fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans, tenderloins and fries, spaghetti, 1/4 fried chicken, walleye/shrimp/catfish fillets, prime rib, tacos and chili dogs.
Shawna said Chilli Bowl will no longer serve breakfast, but the establishment and restaurant will be open seven days a week now.
“Sandy is the food service manager because she’s much more qualified to do this,” said Shawna.
Masterson, who bowls in Chilli Bowl leagues on Thursday and Sunday, said she plans to focus also on the bar with the addition of some drink specials.
The grill heats up from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily except Sunday, when hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
All dinners will also include one trip to the salad bar.
Carryouts can be ordered by calling 274-3237.
“Anybody can get whatever they want,” said Shawna.” They can still go to the counter and order, too.”
Chilli Bowl changes
Speaking of the counter, customers will find an entirely new look and design to the Chilli Bowl counter and kitchen areas.
Just inside the front door, the counter has been removed and a wall added, creating a showcase for the salad bar Shawna started last year.
“The salad bar’s more visible and the kitchen is larger,” Shawna said. “We have all new kitchen equipment — fryers, grill, exhaust hood, stoves, tables and sandwich preparation area.”
One of the booths is now tucked away in a cozy corner just inside the door, and three booths border the bar wall.
At the end of the booths, a wall with a glass door now separates the food area from the actual lanes, extending from the bar wall to the counter.
Patrons can place counter orders on the north side of the counter now.
In the open area by lane 1, the lockers are now on both sides of the wall instead of in one long line.
Shawna plans to place the video games in that walkway area, with a wall separating the games from the lanes.
Chilli Bowl hours are the same as the restaurant, except on Saturday, the business is open until 11 p.m. for Rock ‘n Bowl.
The combination will fuse the best of both worlds — Chilli Bowl food and the former Dug Out menu, both said.
“We both have the same philosophy,” said Shawna. “We’re like family. We want people to feel comfortable being here and want to come here for the food and the atmosphere.”
Masterson said she looks forward to serving customers again.
“They’ve given me a great opportunity to work with great people and to be able to bring my recipes to the Chilli Bowl,” said Masterson.
