Published: January 08, 2009 12:03 am      

New sports bar will offer a taste of BBQ

By SHAWN PIATEK

SPIATEK@TRIBDEM.COM

Just in time for the Super Bowl, sports fans in the region will have another option to enjoy the big game when the Pit Stop Sports Bar and Grill is fully operational later this month.

The new establishment is replacing the former Pit Stop 271, an entertainment venue that included indoor miniature golf, that recently closed. The sports bar is held by the same owners, Brad and Michele Kubat, and is now open with limited services.

Brad Kubat said the restaurant should be fully operational by Jan. 24.

“Business was flat,” Brad Kubat said of Pit Stop 271, 3840 William Penn Ave., Jackson Township. “We had it there for six years and it wasn’t growing, so we decided we had to make a change.”

The interior of the facility has received a complete overhaul, adding a bar, dining booths, a walk-in cooler and a separate room for two golf simulators.

Additionally, Pit Stop Sports Bar and Grill features 14 screens for sports viewing – 12 42-inch high-definition screens and two 120-inch projection screens on opposing walls of the main dining area.

The facility also has a separate arcade room as well as a banquet facility available for rentals.

“Michele and I thought the area could use something like this because there’s nothing like this around,” Brad Kubat said. “A few of the nicer sports bars we’ve been to were always busy, so we thought this had a good chance to work here.”

The golf simulators are already one of the more popular attractions. Each can accommodate a foursome of players, testing their skills at top courses such as Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass.

The cost for an hour of golf is $15. Tee time reservations are suggested.

But the greatest drawing card for the establishment, according to the owners, is the food. In particular, Pit Stop Sports Bar and Grill will feature homemade barbecue made on site with its own meat smokers.

“The barbecue will be our signature item,” Brad Kubat said. “That’s what we’re hoping to use to draw a lot of people in.

“We’re also looking at maybe doing an Italian night, a Mexican night and see how they go and make any other determinations from there.”

The owners plan to showcase the new look of the facility during tonight’s NCAA championship football game as well as the NFL’s playoffs and Super Bowl. It has hosted some smaller groups for Pittsburgh Steelers and Penguins games, and Brad Kubat said the early feedback has been positive.

He expects that as the establishment’s reputation grows, so to will the geographic area from which it draws customers.

“We’re in a good location to draw people from Ebensburg, Nanty Glo, Armagh and Conemaugh,” Brad Kubat said. “I think once word gets out about how nice this place is, we won’t have trouble drawing people from Johnstown and Altoona, too.”

For more information, call 749-6206.