HOWARD TOWNSHIP — Growing up on Barron and Eagle lakes, Rachel and Tom Wegner, of Edwardsburg, have long dreamed of creating their own lakeside hangout, where people can wind down with their family or enjoy a cold beer and burger at the bar.

With this goal in mind, Tom and Rachel Wegner opened Wegners Lakeside Bar-Grill, 2619 Lake Shore Dr., in late February. 

“We just wanted to bring the lake community back into this bar,” Rachel said. “We have had old customers come in and say that we did a nice job of doing it and making it feel like a true lake bar.”

On the menu, customers can find pizza, loaded tater tots, wings, burgers, tacos, salads and a regular Friday Fish Fry. A specialty menu item is a surf and turf style hamburger with two pieces of fish and hash browns.

The Wegners plan to expand the menu soon and also feature items like the lakeside trio — a clam, shrimp and fish dinner.

The couple said they wanted to keep prices “fair” and offer Sunday deals like a 14-inch, four-topping pizza for $14. The average price point is between $6 and $12.

On the drink menu, there are a selection of beers such as Bell’s Two Hearted, Blue Moon and Kolsch. During the summer, there will be drink specials on sale for sangria and tequila sunrises.

Customers can also expect to see regularly scheduled acoustic music performances. The Wegners said they wanted to have music that was not too loud and would still allow people to converse over dinner without having to shout.

Additionally, customers can take advantage of the pool tables and darts that are available for use. 

To complete their vision for the space, the couple polished the floors, painted and added new booths and high tops. In the future, they hope to also add a space for outside seating and add a new roof to the building. The approximately 2,000-square-foot restaurant seats 90 people, plus the bar seating.

The Lakeside Bar-Grill is the couple’s first business venture together. Before operating the restaurant, Rachel worked in media for 22 years, including as a reporter for FOX 28 and ABC affiliates.

Tom worked for his father’s business, Brother’s Bakery, in Edwardsburg before starting his own lawn care business: Superior Lawn Care, which he still operates.

When the Hide-A-Way owner announced his retirement, the couple said they jumped at the chance to turn their dream into reality.

“We had been looking for about three years for a tavern or restaurant,” Tom said. “When we saw this go up for sale, we saw the lake and we thought it was perfect.”

The couple’s two daughters, Tori and Taylor, also help out at the restaurant.

The restaurant is open year-round from noon to midnight Tuesday through Thursday; noon to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.