The Iron Skillet, a family-style restaurant located in an 1870s-era home, has shuttered. Open since 1953 at 2489 W. 30th St., the throwback destination, with its big bowls of fried chicken (some of the region’s best, in our estimation) and long-cooked sides, hosted many an unchallenging—unless we’re talking about family dynamics, perhaps—intergenerational gathering. Owner Ronald Torr tells the Star, “I’m 74 years old. It’s time to retire.” He hopes he can sell the restaurant but has yet to line up a buyer.
Since last summer, we’ve been watching the progress at Iozzo’s on Jefferson, a Franklin offshoot of long-standing southside restaurant Iozzo’s Garden of Italy. Workers have been busy at its squat brick building at 315 E. Jefferson St., the former home of an auto body shop, and now it appears that opening time is close, as the business is now hiring staffers, a recent Instagram post announced (representatives have not responded to a request for details by publication time). According to Franklin officials, when it opens, the spot will serve lunch service on weekdays and dinner daily, starting at 4 p.m.
Indianapolis-area restaurateur Henri Najem (Bella Vita, Savor, Flamme Burger) is mulling a new spot in downtown Westfield. According to the IBJ, he’s hoping to open H Steakhouse, a “$6.4 million, high-end steakhouse” near Grand Junction Plaza (225 S. Union St.) that—in the company’s words—will operate “under the guidance of a team of seasoned chefs, each a master in their own right” with “a meticulously curated menu that pays homage to the finest cuts of meat sourced from the most reputable suppliers.” It’s currently working its way through Westfield’s planning commission, but if all goes well, expect an opening in early 2025.
The future of Red Lobster, a once-ubiquitous seafood chain, remains murky as the company abruptly shuttered 48 restaurants across the U.S. this week. CNN reports that “Red Lobster restaurant inventory, including kitchen equipment, furniture, tables and chairs,” is available via an online auction billed as “WINNER TAKES ALL—meaning, each winner will receive the ENTIRE contents of the Red Lobster location they bid on.” That means you could be the proud owner of everything inside the now-dark location at 1752 Shadeland Ave. or—if you’re up for a trip north—3009 Brittany Ct. in Elkhart. Two other Indianapolis outposts, at 690 E. Thompson Rd. and 6410 E. 82nd St., remain open for business.
Guggman Haus Brewing Co. (1701 Gent Ave., 317-602-6131), that family-owned brewery from identical twins Courtney Guggenberger and Abby Gorman, has launched a coffee operation called the Coffee Haus at Guggman on its grounds. The extremely dog-friendly (just keep pets outdoors, please) business launched over the weekend with live jazz and hound adoption opportunities and is serving pastries, breakfast burritos, and coffee drinks Wednesday–Saturday 7 a.m.–2 p.m.
Taiwan-based milk tea company Tiger Sugar has been on an expansion jag since 2019, opening franchises across the U.S. Now the Instagram sensation (for its photogenically streaky combination of brown sugar and boba pearls) has announced via Instagram that it will launch its first Indiana outpost in a southside strip mall at 1155 E. Stop 11 Rd. A spokesperson for the shop tells me they’re “hoping to open next Wednesday or Thursday,” with a grand opening celebration planned for June 15.
Head further south and you’ll find another Indiana first in Franklin, where Louisville cult fave Home Run Burger and Fries has opened its first non-Derby City branch. It’s quietly taken over a former Rally’s location at 1599 Morton St., which means there’s no dining area, just walk-up or drive-thru service. Vice president of operations and franchising Todd Gross tells The Daily Journal that the company chose Franklin for its Indiana expansion because it’s “a great family community [where] everyone’s very connected.” The chain, which is known for its customizable burgers and fresh-cut fries, is planning a grand opening event at 2 p.m. May 30.
