UPDATED: Bloomfield Township Rusty Bucket Opens This Week

Several weeks of construction and careful planning come to fruition this week as the Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern opens its newest location in Bloomfield Township.

The official public opening at 42874 Woodward Ave. is not scheduled until 11 a.m. Thursday. However, the restaurant will host a preopening event from 6-9 p.m. Wednesday that will benefit Think Detroit PAL. Officials with Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, the chain's corporate owner, said this morning that the $50 ticket cost was removed and donations will be accepted at the door instead. Seating is limited and contributions are tax-deductible. All proceeds will benefit the nonprofit organization, which offers athletic opportunities and leadership development to roughly 10,000 Detroit-area children annually.

The chain will also have two invitation-only practice dinners from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday to tune up. Checks will be discounted by 50 percent. Reservations for the practice dinners are still available for both nights and can be made by calling 248-239-3663. Reservations are also required for the Dec. 7 event and may be made by calling 248-851-3578.

“We’re putting on the finishing touches and will be ready to go,” General Manager Brady Pankow said last week as training sessions for new employees were under way.

The Spot

The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees unanimously passed the restaurant's in August. Located in the former Bennigan’s, the Rusty Bucket features several interior and exterior upgrades and, at 6,500 square feet, is the most spacious in the nine-restaurant chain, officials said. It seats 164 in the main dining area and can accommodate another 24 at the bar. Two breakout rooms are decorated with Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings themes and seat eight and 16, respectively. When the weather turns, patrons can also enjoy the outdoors on a 76-person capacity patio.

Though the exterior blends in with the commercial office/retail scene near the busy Square Lake Road intersection, the interior is quite different. Elegant wood lines the interior and the bar, and windows facing west are just big enough to allow for natural light to fill the main dining room and bar.

And then there are the televisions. Twenty plasma flat screens are mounted high and point in several directions to provide a good environment for the sports fan glued to one particular game and for those who want to follow multiple contests.

Restaurant officials said the location has a more sophisticated feel than others in the chain but still maintains the corner tavern atmosphere diners have experienced in Northville and at the former location in West Bloomfield, which closed this year.

“When we opened our first Michigan location in 2008 in Northville, we quickly caught on as the place to enjoy an impromptu dinner, catch up with friends or celebrate with the team,” said Gary Callicoat, president of the Columbus, Ohio-based chain. “We’re thrilled to open this new location so that residents and workers in the Bloomfield Hills area can learn what the folks in Northville already know: Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern is where your neighborhood eats, drinks and laughs.”

The Grub

The from-scratch menu offers a varied combination of updated familiar favorites and includes bold flavors in an array of house-made specialties including salads, grilled items, “pub favorites” and a robust children’s menu, company officials said.

Favorites include deep-fried pickles, fish and chips, the Double Nickel Salad – mixed greens topped with special dressing, chopped bacon bits, bleu cheese crumbles, tomatoes and red onions – and Bucket Bites – mini-burgers on potato buns with grilled onions, yellow cheddar cheese and pickle chips. Company officials also said the new location is the first Rusty Bucket in Michigan to feature pizza, and it will offer a special gluten-free menu for diners with special dietary needs.

The tavern also features a wide selection of drinks, including more than 100 varieties of beers. Twenty-four brands will be on tap, including 11 Michigan-made brews. There are also fresh, hand-crafted specialty drinks such as Bucket Punch and Blueberry Bella. For whiskey fans, the restaurant will feature a Woodford Reserve Personal Selection called Gary’s Blend, which is made specifically for Rusty Bucket.

Callicoat said the menu selection will draw people in and that the atmosphere and customer-friendly approach will bring guests back.

“This new location will continue our tradition of providing our guests with top-notch hospitality and service,” he said. “Frequent diners and first-time guests alike will feel an immediate sense of warmth and comfort.”

Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern will be open for lunch and dinner daily and offers call-ahead seating and reservations for parties of eight or more by calling 248-239-3663.