New restaurant going up along Pascagoula River

The cement pillars going up just north of U.S. 90 along the Pascagoula River are for a new restaurant.

The owners of the thriving Lenny’s Sub Shop on Market Street are venturing into a seafood and steak restaurant on Magnolia Street and at the end of Cedar Street. The restaurant will have a view of the river and the idea is to have it open for business in less than a year.

Steven and Chad Brady are using the working title Brady Steak and Seafood for the 5,800-square-foot restaurant, which is on the fringes of the Lake Avenue area. It will be nestled into a part of the city that includes the Round Island Lighthouse and Lighthouse Park.

Dining along the river is part of the design for the elevated restaurant that likely will feature screened-in dining decks along the back and south side of the building. Plans are to have boat access for customers as well.

They bought the lot from the city for $100,000, according to officials, and city records show they plan to spend $834,000 on the project. Several contractors are working on it now, and Julie Vanderbrook, a family member and managing partner at Lenny’s, said the news is getting out by word of mouth.

“We’re getting such positive feedback from the community,” Vanderbrook said. “We have tons of customers coming in Lenny’s asking about it and wishing us the best of luck.”

Workers on the site are reporting “seven cars a day stopping by to ask what’s coming,” she said. “They’re expressing the need for more restaurant options in the community.”

There will be room to book meetings and live music from time to time, she said.

City Manager Joe Huffman said the request for tax exemption is filed with the city, something that is typically granted. He said the city welcomes another restaurant destination and bragged that Pascagoula restaurants “offer good food without the hassles of other towns, where you have to deal with parking.”

Tim Smith of KT Construction was on the site this week and said that once some bushes are removed along the water’s edge, the restaurant will be able to offer a nice view of the river.

This story was originally published July 1, 2016 at 7:12 AM with the headline "New restaurant going up along Pascagoula River."