DJ Roonie G to launch food, entertainment complex in north Columbus

DJ Roonie G, a prominent audio-visual disc jockey who has performed at major events nationwide, is creating an entertainment complex in north Columbus that will blend a dance nightclub with comedy, karaoke, a game room and a restaurant.

To be called The Tavern Grill & Bar and The Sound Factory, Roonie G, whose given name is Roongsak Griffeth, plans to open the nearly 13,000-square-foot entertainment zone within the next month or so at 6298 Veterans Parkway, with the help of longtime friend and managing partner Alan Bean.

The location is in the Main Street Village retail and office park in north Columbus, in the heavily trafficked area that includes the Columbus Park Crossing commercial area where a plethora of restaurants and retailers already serve the masses.

“My passion has always been music and entertaining and I just want to provide the best entertainment possible for Columbus,” said Griffeth, who is putting about $600,000 into the venture after planning it for about a year. “Anything like this in a major market would be like $1.5 million to do. So I’m doing it for a third of that.”

Griffeth who has operated Mix Ultra Lounge at 1040 Broadway in downtown Columbus for several years, said he expects to close that business around the same time that he opens the new one. His other downtown interest, Martini’s, an 1107 Broadway bar with an R&B and hip-hop flare, will remain open, he said.

“I guess God works in mysterious ways. I was just looking at getting the Tavern, but I’m leaving downtown and closing the Mix,” said Griffeth, who will be handling some of the DJing at The Sound Factory, although he expects to have other DJs as well as he continues his work across the U.S.

DJ Roonie G, an Army brat of Thai heritage who has been in Columbus since 1990, has been involved with music since his teens, including a stint at the former Chickasaw nightclub here. He eventually started receiving recognition and some awards for his talent, performing at events that included Pitbull, Kid Rock, will.i.am and Katy Perry. He also has done Super Bowl parties, a Donald Trump birthday and a speaking engagement that included former President George W. Bush.

(Passion for the Crowd: Behind the Scenes with Roonie G)

Griffeth, 47, said he and Bean want to create an “entertainment district” inside Main Street Village, hopefully spurring additional commercial activity in the center that has been around for several decades. The center was there long before Columbus Park Crossing arrived more than a decade ago.

“I love downtown, but we’ve always wanted to do things like old-school car shows and stuff like that,” Bean said. “But to be able to do that on Broad on a Saturday afternoon is kind of a hard thing with everything that goes on down there.”

Bean, 46, who has known Griffeth for more than 25 years, has extensive experience with restaurants and entertainment, having been with the former Sports Page and Sports Rock Cafe in Columbus. In recent years, he has been taking care of Griffeth’s clubs.

The goal at The Tavern Grill & Bar — formerly Tavern at Main Street — is to serve up a variety of food that includes angus steaks, pineapple burgers and, of course, chicken wings that will feature tastes from the city’s past. Recipes from the old Ben’s Wings and Things, Willy’s Wings, Top Hat Chicken, Coach’s Corner, Press Box Cafe and Scooter’s will be used in preparing the menu, the partners said. For instance, they want to have the original baked potato soup from the old Choctaw.

“We’re kind of bringing these old Columbus flavors that got lost, and we’ve been trying to collect the memorabilia from places that have been getting shut down because of the corporate chains,” Bean said. “We’re also adding an element on top of that from things that Roonie has seen from traveling around. So we’re adding the chicken and waffles and stuff like that.”

The Tavern space, years ago home to Louie Louie’s Bakery and Cafe, is next door to The Sound Factory, which is where the Kiddie Shoppe once was operated by former owner Rick McKnight. The restaurant, like the rest of the complex, will feature live music at times.

The Sound Factory, meanwhile, will be a hybrid of a dance nightclub, karaoke bar, comedy club and pool hall, Griffeth said, with a top-notch audio system and lighting, plenty of video monitors and a VIP area. The design will incorporate pieces of entertainment venues that DJ Roonie G has experienced during his travels.

“The whole concept here is a mini entertainment district. We want to focus on art and making good music and fresh experiences for people,” said the DJ, who spent a two-year residence performing in Las Vegas, and also did so in Los Angeles, traveling home to Columbus each week to spend time with his family.

“Now I can give everybody the same experiences that my life is like,” Griffeth said. “We’ve got whatever mood you want to be in. If you want to chill you can come here (to the restaurant). If you want some high energy or to laugh, go to the club. It’s putting it all together ... People will have a choice for their mood and experience.”

One thing the partners don’t want to do is put any limits on themselves. They hinted there may be more to come at their Main Street home. They threw out the possibility of a pizza place and a food truck, and perhaps a Martini’s-style bar.

“We’re going to really, really light up Main Street,” said Griffeth said, who pegged the openings of The Tavern and The Sound Factory at the end of October. But he stressed that’s tentative, having worked some wiggle room into the construction schedule, which means the debut could come sometime in November. The business also is now seeking its alcohol beverage license from the city.

This story was originally published October 7, 2016 at 9:59 AM with the headline "DJ Roonie G to launch food, entertainment complex in north Columbus."