PATIO OF THE WEEK: Bullwinkle’s makes most of massive Riverfront Park expansion

John Forman, owner of Bullwinkle’s restaurant since 2006, invested $750,000 on a new outdoor space at his well known restaurant, making it the best place to stop and enjoy the vistas of the park, or grab a DORA cup and get over to the park for chill time.

“Our biggest project to date was the building of our ‘backyard’ patio, which is 50x80 feet in size. It was completed and open for the 2023 season. It can seat over 120 people either under our covered area or the covered bar area, and can hold over 200 guests in total for special events like our annual Boo N The Burg. We still have our original patio on the front of our building that seats around 30-40 people which is dog friendly,” said Forman.

The new “backyard” that he references features seven big screen TV’s, two firepits with lounge-type seating for up to eight at each firepit, and a large 7′x14′ LED wall for the game of the day. They also have a large turf area where the kids can run around and play.

“We’ve pretty much been through the entire restaurant over the years. We started with all the mechanical systems and shoring up the building. The building is over 175 years old so when we renovated our upstairs dining room we put in all new support beams on our first and second floors to give the building another 175 years of life.

“More recently we went through the dining room and redid all the floors, new bathrooms, and a new furniture package was just installed in February. Also, during COVID when things shut down that March, we gutted the entire kitchen and then got back open that May when it was done,” Forman said.

Bullwinkle’s has been around since 1986 and Forman says having a great outdoor space is more important than ever, but the only thing that beats that is the staff. .

“The restaurant has been successful due to putting out good food, pouring a good drink, and giving great service all with reasonable prices. All of which wouldn’t be possible without the fantastic staff that I have here. I have almost 60 employees who are dedicated to the success of the restaurant, with 25 employees that have been here five or more years, 10 employees with ten or more years, three with 20 years, and two with more than 30 years I also feel that all our guests are like family and friends, and I expect them to be treated that way. Lastly, there is pretty much a Forman here everyday now that my son Andrew and daughter Paige have stepped in full time. The plan is for them to take over the restaurant completely in the next 3-5 years so I can retire,” he said.

The restaurant has two patios bookending the large interior — the original out front and the Mac Daddy out back. You can’t beat the specials or the fresh views.

For food, diners can go heavy with something like the BBQ combo ($18) featuring pulled pork, chicken and brisket with an optional add of three baby back ribs for $7.

Lighter options include a full range of salads, grilled fish or shrimp skewers or a lighter sandwich like a turkey Reuben ($11), club ($10) or turkey wrap ($12).

Grab a photo with the 7-foot tall moose, MooseTater, but more importantly, check out the two wonderful new amenities along the river — the Bullwinkle’s patio and the new Riverfront. It’s so special when a business builds on what the city is trying to do.

Contact this writer at alexis.e.larsen@hotmail.com.