By DREW GRANTHUM/Staff Writer

One local business hopes to capture the excitement of the Chilton County Basketball Tournament, as well as sports fans looking to grab a bite to eat.

Todd Bowen, co-owner of the Red Zone Grill in Jemison, said the restaurant was offering a special discount to any hungry sports fans on their way to —or from— the county tournament, held at Jemison High School.

“We’re doing a 20-percent discount for Friday and Saturday for the county tournament,” Bowen said.

Bowen said in order to qualify for the discount, one must “bring your ticket stub or (be) a player or cheerleader.”
Bowen said the discount was meant to serve the community as well as help the restaurant staff better understand its clientele.

“Honestly, I just knew there would be a lot of people there,” he said. “We haven’t even done a grand opening yet, and are trying to work out the kinks and get the word out (about the restaurant).”

Bowen said the opportunity to allow people to get acquainted with the restaurant’s atmosphere and its food, along with giving the staff a chance to see how a large crowd would need to be adequately served, was too good to pass up.

Bowen, who co-owns the Red Zone with Jamie Storey, said the previous opening of a sister Red Zone restaurant in Calera gave him an idea about what to expect in opening the Jemison location.

“Having the place in Calera, we see (the problems) when you first open,” he said. “We try to make sure we’re equipped, and look to do a grand opening. It’s always a rough road, (and) we’re trying a soft open. By mid-February, we’ll have our staff full force.”

Bowen said the restaurant will open at its normal time of 11 a.m. for lunch and will stay open past 11 p.m. to accommodate customers.

“We’ll close when everyone leaves,” he said.

Bowen also said the discount was “across the board,” as far as food items, such as burgers, wings and Philly cheese steak sandwiches are concerned, and that as long as a customer presents a ticket from the tournament, regardless of day, they will receive the lower rate.

“If they bring us a ticket, we’re not going to henpeck them,” he said.

For more information, contact the restaurant, located next to the Jemison Piggly Wiggly, at 688-1330.