Barbecue, mac and cheese, rock and roll, baked beans, music videos, ribs, and much more: if this sounds like a dream, it is time to wake up and go to Rock N’ Ribs in LZ.
“I’ve always loved food and cooking,” Alice Banach, parent of senior Shelby Banach and owner of Rock N’ Ribs, said. “My husband and I have been in this area for 27 years. We thought that would be a good concept for this area because we wanted to stay in this area that we knew and loved, and we wanted to make sure it would be a restaurant that people could come to and enjoy.”
Rock N’ Ribs rolled into town this May when Banach had the idea to open up her own restaurant off of Rand Road. Having won Willow Creek’s Rib Fest in 2013 and runner up in 2012, she already knew the public adored her cooking, especially the ribs.
Banach has another edge against competition besides winning Rib Fest. Before deciding to open her own restaurant, she worked in corporate marketing for companies like Hefty for 29 years. All of that experience became useful when trying to figure out how to market Rock N’ Ribs.
“I wanted to bring in a really fun place,” Banach said. “I love old music videos. I was born in the 80s, and I thought other people my age would appreciate that. I even think kids now are retro-ing back to 80s music and earlier, and I thought that would be a great marketing for this: a place where people could watch music videos and have great food. I purchased about 855 music videos from the 60s to today. Some examples are U2, Madonna, Rolling Stones, One Republic, Queen, and more. I think it’s a place where families can come to, even with little kids because I have personally looked at over 1,200 music videos to get to 855 that I can actually show in a family-friendly environment. We have four big screens that are going to show the music videos. If there are playoffs games, like the Blackhawks or Bulls, two of the screens will have those games on.”
Banach wanted to make Rock N’ Ribs even more unique by adding the little details other restaurants were missing. Installations such as purse hooks under tables and a phone charging station are unique to Rock N’ Ribs.
“Whenever we go somewhere, my kids are always like, ‘I need to charge my phone,’ and we thought it would be a nice thing for the teens to have. We also have free Wi-Fi and a charging station that can charge up to eight phones,” Banach said. “[There are chargers from] everything to an iPhone 5 to an Android to even older phones. The chargers also charge faster than normal chargers. There are tables right near the chargers so you can watch your phone.”
Adding to the unique qualities of the restaurant is the menu. Though serving traditional BBQ meals such as ribs, beans, and corn bread, each recipe has a twist so the customers know the food is homemade, according to Banach. These twists include using three different colored beans in the baked beans, and incorporating secret ingredients to make the mac and cheese as creamy as possible.
Not only is the food good for your taste buds, but it is also good for the community. Banach and her family are very involved in giving back to the community, and that giving does not stop just for business, but they support the school as well.
“We are sponsors of the LZ Bears and lacrosse team,” Banach said. “One of the things we want to make sure we do is give back, so we have Cue for Cause, meaning we give the community as well as charitable organizations ten percent of our profits. We also support the Quarterback Club, a silent auction for the Ela Township Library, and we will host different Dine and Dashes for restaurants in the community.”
Banach and Rock N’ Ribs are also giving back to the community with promotional deals and opportunities. There will be a high school hour after school from 3-5pm where if you buy a meal, you can get a free soft drink. There may also be some band nights after hours to promote local bands in the area and give them a place to play.
“[Giving back] is something our family has done all our lives,” Banach said. “We feel it is our duty to give back to the community any way we can.”