BIGGER BURGER: Cunningham Restaurant Group chain burger spot Bru Burger just expanded its reach into Greenwood, opening its 17th location at 1462 W. Stones Crossing Rd. The restaurant, which launched on Tuesday, offers the same familiar roster of fries, salads, and, yes, burgers as the other 16.
HOMICIDE: A man was fatally shot in an apparent dispute at the Mucky Duck Pub at 4425 Southport Crossing Dr. on Thursday. Fox 59 reports the suspected shooter was booted from the popular bar and grill, “but he then walked around the building and was confronted by the victim.” The suspect left the scene, but police say they tracked him down and detained him for questioning. Neither the suspect nor the victim have been publicly identified as of publication time.
STEAK IN: A new restaurant at the JW Marriott hotel at 10 S. West St. seeks to determine if Indy can have too many steakhouses. Fine, that’s not the stated goal, but the press release for Dean’s Steak & Seafood, which will open at the hotel this fall, says it brings a “refined yet approachable take on the classic American steakhouse to the heart of downtown.” How the business—which also has locations in Texas and North Carolina—will distinguish itself from the multitudes of other steakhouses in the area that do exactly the same thing remains to be seen.
ID CHECK: As of July 1, bar bouncers in Indiana need to undergo the same training and certification as a venue’s mixologists and servers. Quoting a 2024 video that features Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission liaison Lt. Brian Stewart, WANE reports, “These are commonly referred to as bartender permits, but actually they are technically employee permits … required for anybody who’s working as a server, a bartender, waiter, waitress, manager in a restaurant, or an employee in a package liquor store.” Next time you get carded outside a bar, I dare you to ask your interrogator for his or her permit status. I double dog dare you!
COFFEE CLOSURES: The local java scene took two hits in recent days. Silver Linings Coffeehouse (700 Main St., Beech Grove) will shutter on July 26, the business announced on Instagram. But a new tenant might be in the works for the building, as “there is a possibility that this space won’t be empty of coffee for long,” the business writes, teasing, “the heart of what we built here will continue to live on in some form,” and, “our Main Street will still have a place to gather over good coffee.” Meanwhile, Dream Palace Books & Coffee (111 E. 16th St.) announced that it, too, will shutter on July 26. So head there for a cup of joe and a couple books while you can.
HOT PIE: The Star just blew up one of Noblesville’s greatest secrets, Michael Spencer’s Nino’s Pizza pop-up inside VFW Post 6246 (654 S. 9th St.). According to Nino’s lore, Spencer serves up legit deep-dish pies from a “secret family recipe from a long-time but now shuttered pizzeria in Chicago.” The takeout-only business launched in May and has drawn long lines and stacked delivery orders since; those in the know place their orders Wednesdays, when demand is at its lowest.
