Less than three months after Tanya Davis opened Vegas Lounge & Bar, she added a dash of Sin City glitz to Broad Ripple. She has added her one more Las Vegas-themed spot to the local landscape. This is Fort Benjamin Harrison.
Her new MGM Lounge & Bar will partner with her sister Jaquita Savage to take over what was once Eddy’s Sports Pub at 9105 E. 56th St.
The sisters acquired the business in mid-August.
The bar had regulars frequenting it for a game of pool and a lunch of philly cheesesteaks, jalapeño poppers, chicken wings and fries.
MGM isn’t as elaborate as the Vegas Lounge at 723 N. Broad Ripple Avenue. With chandeliers and shots of expensive cognac, Davis spent about $350,000 preparing the place.
But the new owners spruce up the loft space. Painting, updating bar tops, replacing furniture, installing industrial lighting.
“We’re going to make it feel like the sport, but it’s going to be like being in a casino,” says Davis. “I want a little spice”
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A new menu is in development featuring what Davis calls fusion bar food. She has plans for her kebab, her boiled seafood with shrimp and sausage. Savage, meanwhile, is excited to add dishes such as her chili her cheese her fries and chicken her nachos that were popular at her GQ’s Grill where she ran years ago.
Both sisters own childcare and healthcare services companies.
Savage said Davis contacted her to join the project after he started working on Vegas Lounge.
“I thought it was going to be a great experience for me. And it sort of became a bar owner from that point on!” Savage said.
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Despite being a sports pub, the 6,000-square-foot space offers a variety of entertainment.
Savage and Davis immediately launched a mechanical bull riding contest.
And they’re now casting for a monthly “dating game” type live show. The winner will receive a date gift card.
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Even when he was building a lounge on Broad Ripple, Davis began looking for a second Vegas Strip-themed location. I feel people trapped by the coronavirus pandemic wanting to go back to restaurants and clubs.
“I want it to reach every corner of the city,” she said. “We’ve been home for years. The pandemic hasn’t gone away. We want it to be a place where people can go out and have fun.”
MGM, 9105 E. 56th St., 317-661-3939, is open seven days a week from 11 am to 3 am.
Please contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at [email protected] or 317-444-6264. Follow her on her Twitter. @cherylvjackson.