Hawk Schenkel, owner of Hawk's Bar and Grill, 425 State St., opened his restaurant in 2002 in an effort to combine efficiency with upscale casual dining. His ideas were simple: offer quality food to customers and have them place their order from the counter. These ideas were created when Schenkel worked at Amy's Caf??, 414 W. Gilman St., and Caf?? Continental, 108 King St., as well as his own ideas for dining.
'Some people wonder why we don't have waiters. To me, it saves the customer money and helps eliminate the possibility of making mistakes in an order,' Schenkel said.
The affordable menu reflects higher-end cuisine, including dressings and soups made by Schenkel's father. Schenkel and his staff have also worked to provide many options for vegetarians, which reinforces the vision of giving the customer choices. 'We're not your typical bar and grill,' Schenkel explained. 'No baskets here. All our food comes on a plate.'
