April 19, 2023

A vacant former restaurant building is becoming a second location for downtown bar Lucky’s.

Owner Kevin Tupy, founder of  Cresten Capital, is buying the former Cody’s Smokehouse BBQ building at 6401 S. Louise Ave.

He became the owner of Lucky’s when he bought the downtown building at 224 S. Phillips Ave. in 2021.

Like that location, at the new south-side Lucky’s “our focus is going to be mostly entertainment: drinks, pool tables and darts and maybe foosball, maybe pinball,” Tupy said. “Really keeping the Lucky’s vibe from downtown to bring it down south.”

He plans to work with the Ode family to run the food and beverage service. The brothers also own Crawford’s downtown and are partners in Wagoo Burger at Fernson Downtown.

The deal just got put together, but “we’re trying to resonate pretty close to a simplistic bar menu,” Paul Ode said. “We’re playing with a few ideas that would be fun and different but all your bar staples too. Elevate a few things and make a … core group of bar items. We don’t want it to be super complicated with a bunch of prep.”

The plan is to freshen up the building with new paint and use a large patio behind the building.

“It’s over 2 acres, and it’s just really occupying a hair over 10 percent of the parcel,” Tupy said. “With a hospital continuing to expand across the street and the 85th Street interchange being started this year and all the multifamily and single-family housing growth, I just think additional amenities and services are really needed.”

Cody’s closed in early 2022 and is “really just set up” for a ready-to-go operation, he added. “It’s really turnkey for us.”

The Odes plan to use part of the kitchen for their catering business as well.

The attached Arby’s will continue to operate.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Scott Blount of Lloyd Cos., who represented the builder’s seller, North Dakota-based Fargo Property Resources Group, which also brought the nearby Plaza Azteca to town.

“It provides that sort of venue to the south side of Sioux Falls, which has a huge population base, and they don’t want to come downtown to go to Lucky’s, so I think it’ll be a really nice location. The restaurant is in impeccable shape.”

Tupy said he has been “really pleased” with the changes to downtown Lucky’s, which include a new facade for the building and interior improvements.

“Michelle Gilberts has taken the reins and run with it. She’s been the general manager more than 10 years, and when we bought it, we said, ‘Show us how to be successful,’ and she totally did,” Tupy said.

Gilberts also will be a partner in the south-side location.

“On the south side, there’s a little different demographic we’ll cater to,” Gilberts said. “We’re hoping to expand the patio because here people coming in for the evening crowd or happy hour want to take advantage of the patio and enjoy entertainment and a laid-back look, and that’s what we’re hoping to capture.”

The purchase also complements other investments in the area from Cresten Capital, which is planning a multifamily project called The Brett near 85th Street and Louise Avenue. It’s scheduled to open for its first residents later this year.

Tupy plans to move fast on Lucky’s, with the goal of opening the doors in June.