Former University of Toledo Rocket quarterback Bruce Gradkowski is debuting a new restaurant at the Gateway.

Social Gastropub opens to the public 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 15 at the retail center on the corner of the UT Main Campus on Secor Road at Dorr Street.

The renovated eatery replaces Gradkowski’s, a bar and restaurant that closed last month for the transition.

“The quality of food will still be amazing, but the environment will be more relaxed and casual to appeal to a larger crowd,” Gradkowski said in a phone call from training camp with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers. “It’s a hip, new and exciting place to be on a campus that holds a special place in my heart. We’ve reinvested in a place where students can hang out and be social at Social.”

Gradkowski played for the Rockets from 2002 to 2005.

Social Gastropub serves as the third location of a restaurant concept Gradkowski and co-owner Mike Graber launched in Perrysburg near Levis Commons three years ago that features bourbon flights, a rotating craft beer selection, creative cocktails and a menu of food updated every two months. The other Social Gastropub location is in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Facebook teases for Social Gastropub in Toledo include tiki drinks and an Italian sandwich oozing local raspberry preserves.

“We wanted to create something more user-friendly to students,” Graber said. “Social has an eclectic mix of customers in Perrysburg – anywhere from seniors to 16-year-olds. But we’re also trying something different in Toledo. Customers will not only be able to build their own mac and cheese, but they’ll be able to build their own pizza, too.”

Social Gastropub will be open daily 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Appetizers will be 25 percent off from 3 to 5 p.m.

Social Gastropub is located on the north end of the Gateway, which also includes Barnes & Noble University Bookstore, Starbucks, Rice Blvd., Verizon Wireless Zone, Huntington Bank, Great Clips, Jimmy John’s, Bubble Tea and Domino’s Pizza.

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13 ABC (August 17, 2016)