Lemonade House Grille set to open soon

After eight months of anticipation, The Original Lemonade House Grille is set to open by the end of the month.

The new restaurant at 350 N. Kingshighway will serve 21 flavors of lemonade and 20 hamburger options.

Co-owner Chelsea Clabough said unresolved parking issues caused delays.

�We finally got a resolution for that at the end of March,� she said. �Obviously, there are city codes, and we knew that going into it. So we thought we had crossed all that off, but it turned out some of that stuff wasn�t valid.�

She said the construction progress was stalled between December and the end of February because �We just weren�t sure when our occupancy was going to be approved.�

Chelsea and Lucas Clabough, owners of The Original Lemonade House Grille in Cape Girardeau, pose for a portrait in the restaurant Friday.KASSI JACKSON

As for the remodeling and construction phase, Clabough said they are doing everything they can that doesn�t require a licensed contractor.

�We�re re-purposing as much as we can,� Clabough said. �All of these stools came out of another college restaurant from Memphis. My dad drove down and got them. Our bar is going to be out of the gym floor of my old high school in Clearwater.�

She said the restaurant�s tables are from a metal scrapyard in Fruitland �and so are some lights and different things around here,� and they have �made it a little bit more sophisticated than a lot of burger joints.�

Clabough said if specific �popular� menu items were to be pinpointed, they would �obviously be our burgers and lemonade.�

�Everything that Poplar Bluff and the other locations have� the Cape Girardeau location will offer as well, but there are �a couple things that we took off,� based on region.

�And we are adding a few burgers, and we are adding a couple salads and vegetarian options,� Clabough said. �We will also be doing �cake pops,� which the other locations don�t, so we�ll have a dessert option.�

If someone has been to the Poplar Bluff location and they have a favorite burger that�s not on the Cape Girardeau location�s menu, however, Clabough said, �We probably still have the stuff to make it, so we will be able to accommodate.�

�We have other things on our menu like street tacos, salads, and gourmet hot dogs,� Clabough said. �And the tacos are my favorite thing. But the burgers will probably be our No. 1.�

Clabough said the first Lemonade House Grille was opened in Poplar Bluff, but the Cape Girardeau location is the sixth �actual franchise�.

�We started on this one first, but we ended up taking over the one in Ozark, in December,� Clabough said.

According to Clabough, the �quality and uniqueness� of the first location is what triggered their decision to open another.

She said founder of Lemonade House Grille Jim Hoyt�s �passion for it is contagious� so she and her husband, Lucas, connected with the goal of it being community-oriented and family friendly.

One of the things she loves most about the franchise is it is �pretty much ground level,� which provided the couple with �a lot of creative freedom.�

Clabough wishes she �could have granted everyone�s request sooner� as far as being open, but is still overwhelmed by the excitement and encouragement of future customers.

�We are focused on providing fun, unique food, with also taking into account we have the option for grass-fed beef, gluten-free buns, and we have vegetarian options,� Chelsea Clabough said. �We�re going to use as many local vendors as possible. We�ll also be using the farmers markets for our fruits and vegetables.�

Lucas Clabough, a local pastor, said their goal is �to make a positive difference in our community through using local vendors and healthy, fresh, high-quality products.�

As for the question of plans being made to open another location in the future, Chelsea Clabough said, �We always have plans.�

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632

Pertinent address:

350 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.