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By Shella Jacobs
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
September 10, 2003    

Metro Restaurants will open the former Tack Room restaurant as a space for special events later this year, scrapping earlier plans to convert it into an Italian eatery.

The Tack Room, the city's first five-star restaurant, was closed in May because of customers' changing tastes and lagging interest in high-end dining in Tucson.  Rick Grinnell, director of marketing for Metro Restaurants, said the opening date for the new space has yet to be determined.

Along with plans for the former Tack Room, Metro Restaurants President and CEO Bob McMahon has been focusing on his new chain of restaurants called Smokin' - The Barbeque Place, which has two locations. McMahon also said earlier this year that Metro Restaurants will be a partner in launching a series of Mexican food eateries with locations here and statewide this fall.  They would mark the company's expansion in other parts of the state. Metro Restaurants' only eatery outside Tucson so far is The Grill on the Green in Green Valley.

The former Tack Room is expected to benefit not only from the lack of similar properties nearby offering space for parties and special events, but also from its long history. "It's going to be a draw, but it's also going to be pricey," said Karen Millett, owner of Wedding Connection, which organizes weddings. "I'm finding brides are looking for a special deal."

Millett plans to include the former Tack Room on her list of places to show clients. And as is the case with other halls they scout, she will evaluate the decor and parking. Brides tend to choose places that will allow them to bring their own planners for the wedding, she said. They also look for a good sound system and properties that will allow the party to go on beyond 11 p.m.

If the former Tack Room opens in the fall, it would miss out on the high season for weddings in Tucson, which starts in October. Those events are usually planned months in advance, Millett said.  The restaurant stood on the Northeast Side at 7300 E. Vactor Ranch Trail, off North Sabino Canyon Road, for nearly 40 years. McMahon took over the restaurant in February 2000 and spent more than $1 million to revamp the interior and add a bar.  The space was about 10,000 square feet and seated around 100 people when it was managed by former owner Drew Vactor. 

Several of the city's historic mansions that cater to banquets and parties are in the Downtown area, including the Manning House at 450 W. Paseo Redondo, and the Stillwell House at 134 S. Fifth Ave.

* Contact reporter Shella Jacobs at 434-4083 or sjacobs@azstarnet.com.

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