By Rochelle Haliburton

No spitting, no fighting and, from the gracious waiters and waitresses, “My name is not ‘HEY!’ These are the rules of the Tin Roof.

But cussing is okay.

Located at 303 S. Limestone and in what was formerly the Huddle House, the Tin Roof is scheduled to open its doors on March 2.

The restaurant and bar promises food, live music and entertainment for Lexingtonians. And, of course, a lot of junk.

The Tin Roof is a collectible hotspot; customers are encouraged to bring in their stuff to hang up for display — anywhere in the joint.

“This place is a dump but that is the essence, and one of the themes of the Tin Roof,” said co-owner Wes Stephens.

And it says so right on the menu: “Yes, we know this place is a dump!”

One of the restaurant workers hung his brother’s mug shot photo on the wall from when he was arrested. There is also a multitude of aged beer cans that co-owner Tim Gibbons has collected from different brands since the 5th grade and many of Gibbons’s childhood toys.

The entire bar is made of  a collection of “stuff:” old baseball cards, photographs of family members of the restaurant staff, matches from an infinite number of places around the US, lottery tickets, a photo ID of deceased Wu-Tang rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard, rulers, pencils, cigarette lighters, old coins, beer bottle caps, buttons, $2 bills, magnets, buttons and stamps. Gibbons also promises his father’s false teeth are hidden amid the “stuff.”

“With the devastating shape that the economy is in, we just want to give people the opportunity to come in, relax and enjoy some good food and good entertainment,” Stephens said.

 

 

 

The Tin Roof menu will include a variety of appetizers and entrées, as well as 20 different kinds of sandwiches, fresh salads and quesadillas.

“Everything is cooked fresh and made to order,” promises Stephens. “Nothing comes out of a microwave.”

The Tin Roof will offer live musical entertainment as well. The first couple of weekends there will be live performances from Nashville-based groups, but will eventually feature local bands.

The initial idea to open the restaurant developed when Gibbons, who has worked in restaurants and bars since the age of 15, decided to open his own bar and suggested to Stephens that they should start looking for locations.

Stephens had worked in management at the original Tin Roof in Nashville for the past three years under owner Jason Sheer. He remembered seeing how passionate and spirited UK students had been in cheering for the UK football team at the bowl games in Nashville and decided to visit Lexington.

By chance, they came across the vacant lot at the corner of South Limestone and West Maxwell Street, not far from UK’s campus.

The biggest challenge with getting the restaurant on track for the owners has been dealing with issues of moving from Nashville to Lexington.

Stephens and Gibbons spent several months driving back and forth from Lexington to Nashville, moving trailers, packing, getting a feel for the new city and taking care of business-related matters with the original Tin Roof in Nashville.

“The major setback was the ice storm a few weeks ago,” Stephens said. “The weather has been unpredictable and caused some problems for us, and although it’s been stressful working in two different states, we overcame it.”

Stephens said they hope a crowd as diverse as Lexington itself will adopt the Tin Roof and feel at home there.

“We want people to make this place their bar and we hope it will be a good mix of people,” said Stephens. “We want to bring the whole town in as one.”