Feb. 18, 2020

The east-side location for The Keg opens Wednesday, and the owners said they’re prepared this time.

When the popular fried chicken restaurant reopened in Sioux Falls in 2015 after a two-year absence, it ran out of chicken the first day.

“When we did the west-side store, we didn’t know what to expect … but we’ve prepared ourselves pretty much this time. We ordered extra chicken,” said Vonnie Larsen, who owns The Keg with her husband, Neil.

The restaurant at 5216 E. Arrowhead Parkway will open at 11 a.m. Wednesday — a day later than planned. The Larsens expected the city’s health inspection would have been Friday, but it didn’t happen until today. They canceled an invite-only test run they planned to do the night before the opening.

“We’re just going to open to the public tomorrow (Wednesday) and just go for it,” Neil Larsen said. “We’ve got all the experience and the help.” Three of their daughters — Becky Mammenga, Casie Scott and Bobbie Jo Larsen – run the day-to-day operations for the family.

The family’s experience dates back to 1979 when Neil’s parents bought the business when it was called Keg Beer Lounge at 10th Street and Bahnson Avenue. The Keg eventually moved to 26th Street and Sycamore Avenue and expanded with a second location in southwest Sioux Falls, but the restaurants closed in 2010 and 2012 when “hard times hit” in the midst of the Great Recession. After that, the Larsens served their chicken for a couple of years at The Lakes Resort on Lake Madison before returning the restaurant to Sioux Falls in 2015.

That west-side location, which will remain open, shares an older building with a gas station, but the east-side restaurant is in the former Noodles & Company in a newer retail center. The space has more windows and a higher ceiling, giving it an open feel. The restaurant will seat about 100 customers, mostly at tables, but there are three booths now, and two more are on the way, Vonnie Larsen said.

There are 10 seats at the bar, which features 12 beers on tap, including local options from Fernson and Remedy. Diners will be able to watch sports on six TV screens that line the walls throughout the restaurant.

Vonnie Larsen said they still need to do some decorating, but there are two neon Keg signs on the walls, one behind the bar that dates back to the 10th and Bahnson location and the other from the restaurant on 26th Street.

A room on the east side of the restaurant holds The Keg’s casino, which has nine video lottery machines and two televisions. Gamblers can eat while they’re playing, Larsen said.

The kitchen area is two or three times larger than the West 12th restaurant. Both hold 10 fryers, but there’s extra room for storage, prep work, washing dishes and moving around.

While fried chicken is the star of the menu, diners also can find chicken tenders, wings, chislic, fried fish, soups and salads.

To start, hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. A lunch buffet is served every day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.