Goose Blind renovations, additions bring new excitement

Aug 08, 2023

Goose Blind Grill & Bar owner Matt Rogatz, middle left, cuts the ribbon with the help of Green Lake Mayor Ray Radis during the restaurant’s grand re-opening last week Saturday. Surrounding Rogatz are family and employees. Goose Blind has been a part of the Green Lake community for the past 40 years and recently underwent renovations and additions.

A new menu that features breakfast is one of the many changes occurring at Goose Blind Grill & Bar.

Goose Blind owner Matt Rogatz, who is a Chicago-based business owner and real estate developer, noted such additions and renovations can be separated into two phases.

A new sign hangs near the entry way of Goose Blind Grill and Bar, which had its grand opening last weekend.

Rogatz said that while previous management did a “fantastic job” with Goose Blind, some changes were still necessary.

“When I bought it [Goose Blind], there were some things that needed to be done,” Rogatz said. “Some floors needed to be repaired. Walls were in need of thorough cleaning or putting in new walls. So what I did was I looked at the current situation of the Goose Blind and I said, ‘I’m going to make a major capital investment in taking the Goose Blind to the next level.’”

According to Rogatz, improvements began in the kitchen. He said that included putting up new food grade walls and lighting, as well as other repairs.

New kitchen equipment is allowing for better tasting food more consistently, according to Rogatz.

“The equipment allows you to make really good food easily,” he said. “We have all new equipment coming in there; new refrigeration. We’re looking at expanding the freezers.”

Rogatz also noted that the restaurant is getting a new pizza oven, which is going to make a big difference for the restaurant’s pizza line.

Another addition to Goose Blind is a take-out window. Rogatz said that was done “so people don’t have to come through the restaurant and try to figure out where to pick up the food.”

Rogatz added the second floor, which he labeled as “outdated” and “underutilized,” was renovated.

Attendees of the Green Lake Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business Mixer mingle on the newly-renovated second floor of Goose Blind Grill & Bar.

“I put in all new bar equipment,” Rogatz said. “All new flooring. We’re having [a] new AV system throughout the whole thing. We built a private lounge; we’re calling it ‘The Nest.’ In The Nest, people can rent the room. They can get a private server. We have gaming. We have three large TVs; I think it’s an 85-, a 55- and a 75-inch TV up there, so if you want to watch sporting events you can watch different games going on simultaneously. We’re going to have poker tables, so if people want to play some cards they can do that. We have reclining theater seats, so if they want to watch movies, surround sound, we got that. We have a private massage chair. It’s one of these full body massage chairs. It’s amazing. It’s really kind of a fun little place to be and hang with some friends.”

The bathrooms also have been upgraded and everything has been made to be ADA-compliant, according to Rogatz, so that guests who are handicapped can enjoy the restaurant. A new lift that’s like an elevator also is being put in so that guests can get to, and enjoy, the second floor.

An outdoor patio, which will be located “between the elevator and the carryout window in the parking lot,” is another space set to be built in the coming weeks.

The electrical side of things also has been revamped, which Rogatz noted is potentially safer and can allow for all kinds of events going forward.

The Nest is a private lounge at the Goose Blind Grill & Bar that can be rented out. It has three large TVs, poker tables, reclining theater seats, surround sound and a private massage chair.

“We upgraded all the HVAC systems to accommodate more people and we can handle the loads that the cooling and the heating demands for more people,” Rogatz said. “We put in a brand new, three-phase [high amperage] electric service because the electrical that was there was single-phase power and it was underserved and overloaded, so in my opinion, it was not safe.”

He noted the upgrade, which wasn’t cheap, will enable Goose Blind to be safe and also to accommodate future expansions power-wise in the building. Already in the plans are doing live music and receptions on the second floor with the new AV system, lights, speakers and microphones.

Another new addition to the second floor, according to Rogatz, is a projection system that will help with hosting future movie nights and a variety of events year round.

“We put in a projector, we put in a huge screen and we are going to have movie nights,” Rogatz said. “So if kids want to watch a movie, we’ll have servers giving them food and some drink up there. And the parents are downstairs having food and drink, it’s almost like a built-in babysitter. We’re going to have a family movie night, we’re going to have an adult movie night. It’s like a brew and view, where you can have food and drink and we’ll have servers serving food and drink while you watch a movie, so it’s going to be a pretty fun, cool environment.”

In the wintertime, he noted that cornhole tournaments will take place on the second floor.

Rogatz said phase two will involve the addition of a balcony and windows that overlook the lake.

“So you go out from the second floor and you go on to this balcony and you’re sitting outside and you can eat and drink out there and have the views of the water,” Rogatz said. “So that addition, we’re trying to get that going in the fall.”

Goose Blind also boasts a new menu that Rogatz is excited about. He added that the affordability of the food remains another big aspect of Goose Blind.

“I was listening to people, and so what I did was I hired a well-known, well-respected chef out of Kansas City,” Rogatz said. “She is the executive chef for the Kaplan Center in Kansas City; it’s a convention center. She supplies food to thousands of people at high-end events. I flew her in and she tried all the menu items and she said, ‘OK, these are good and these we take off, and these things I think we should add.’ So we worked with her on the menu and we upped our game dramatically. We’re doing desserts now and we are now doing breakfast at the Goose [Blind].”

The Goose Blind Grill and Bar is located at 512 Gold St., Green Lake.

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