Two new restaurants are coming to Roebling Point in Covington: By Golly’s Bar and Grill and The Works, which specializes in pizza. By Golly’s is slated to open on Greenup Street, in the location Keystone Bar and Grill occupied until it closed in September. The Works, on the other hand, will open in the Hayden apartment building nearby.
“Covington is growing, and it is the new hot spot,” said Heather Frye, the COO of Sizemore Holdings, which owns both of the restaurants.
“The Hayden was always kind of a great spot,” said Co-owner Lance Sizemore. “We always wanted to be somewhere obviously close to the city but not in the city.”
Sizemore has owned businesses in a variety of sectors and got started in restaurants in 2019 when he opened three Papa John’s restaurants. He eventually bought another and then opened a fifth location before selling all of them in October.
He purchased The Works in Loveland in 2022. The restaurant is well-known for its brick fire pizza oven as well as a dining room made from an old converted train car. Sizemore then purchased By Golly’s, which has several locations in the Greater Cincinnati region, in November of 2023. Sizemore said that placing the two restaurants close together will serve as a kind of branding experiment.
“This will be our first concept of both brands basically being next door to each other,” Sizemore said. “The goal obviously is to be able to show that they can live side by side.”
Speaking of branding, The Works location will pay homage to the Hayden’s past as the Kenton County Jail.
“We’re going to have jail cell dining,” Sizemore said. “So, you’ll be able to sit inside of a jail cell.”
The restaurant will also highlight the history of bridges in America, Sizemore said, dovetailing nicely with the restaurant’s proximity to the Roebling.
By Golly’s, on the hand, will be a little more laid back in terms of its theme, more in line with a place like Margaritaville, Sizemore said: brighter colors and classic American fare.
Frye said they’ve already identified about 35 potential hires, but the group will be hosting a hiring event on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at By Golly’s location on 313 Greenup St.
Frye elaborated on the company’s culture. She said that one of the first things new hires learn about is the company’s key values. She produced a so-called culture card, which listed them: honesty, respect, open communication, pride, integrity, teamwork and community.
“We carry this at all times,” Frye said, “And if any of our staff or team members say ‘Hey, Lance, let me see your culture card,’ and we don’t have it, they get 50 bucks.”
Frye said that every major decision company leaders make has to align with one of the values listed on the culture card.
General Manager Rob Trippel, who aided in opening By Golly’s location in Anderson, said it was nice to work at a place that shared his personal values. Trippel will also help open The Works’ new location.
“All of our core values for our company, they align with all my personal values of honesty, teamwork, integrity, pride, things like that and community,” Trippel said. “Giving back to the community is really important. I like to work for a company that isn’t just there just to make money but to actually make a positive impact in the community.”
“It’s a good atmosphere,” Sizemore said. “We have a lot of fun working with [our staff].”
The plan is to have By Golly’s open before Labor Day to capitalize on the holiday. The Works meanwhile should be open before Oct. 1, Sizemore said.