Spikes Changes Create Never-Ending SummerOne slogan of Spikes Beach Grill is "Tough to find, but hard to forget."
With some of the recent changes going on at the Warsaw summertime bar and volleyball compound, that may have to change.
Recently, owner Scott Woods got Warsaw Engineering & Fabrication to install a 1959 Cesna on top of the stage at Spikes.
In its former life, the plane was owned by a Wisconsin state senator who would fly the governor of the state to and from the statehouse in Madison in the early 1960s.
That state senator's family will be at Spikes this summer to see the plane.
It's part of Woods' design to enhance the outdoor area of Spikes.
When the weather finally turns warm in the spring, people can check out the Treetop Flyer, as it's being called.
Spikes, 310 Eastlake Drive, Warsaw, has been open for 20 years.
What started out as a small bar and grill with a bar top and a few seats has expanded over the years.
Now with a stage, three volleyball courts, a new dining section and room for a weekly cornhole league, Spikes has gone through some changes.
Nearly 200 people can be seated at Spikes on any given night.
Those changes continue as part of the summertime hangout becomes year round.
Not only can customers check out the Treetop Flyer in the spring, they can still sample the Spikes drink menu and have appetizers.
And it's going to be year-round.
Tentatively called The Banana Republic Bar & Grill at Spikes and Noa Noa, the indoor seating section can hold up to 40 people.
Woods said he's already got interest in using the new bar and grill for parties and has already booked two.
It will include a new tapas menu specifically for that area. It's currently open during Noa Noa hours for customers waiting on a table at Noa Noa or for people who want to keep sampling the Spikes drink menu.
Right now people also can enjoy an appetizer menu.
It will be fully up and running in December.
So how do Spikes' die hards enjoy the changes?
"I think it's gone over pretty well," said Woods. "We kept it under our hat for a while but regulars really seem to enjoy it. I think it'll come into its own."
When it's fully operational, The Banana Republic will be open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner.
The new bar and grill can be reached through Spikes main entrance or Noa Noa.
To rent out the new Banana Republic Bar & Grill, call Tish Woods at 574-551-3327.
