An Indian Lake staple prepares for another busy summer season, buoyed by a renovated interior and the execution of an ownership succession plan that positions it for success for years to come.
Dozens of regulars filled bar stools and table tops Saturday at Froggy’s at the Lake to watch college basketball and to try out the restaurant’s new, elevated food offerings.
Ross Jenkins — who assumed ownership of the business Feb. 20 following eight years as a staff member, including the last three as a general manager — pauses just long enough to take in the fun atmosphere and satisfied guests.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said.
Jenkins is a 2011 Indian Lake High School graduate. He started tending bar at Froggy’s in 2012 during summers while earning his degree in economics from Bowling Green State University.
It was on those summer Indian Lake nights that Jenkins developed a passion for restaurant service and bar management, a pursued interest that afforded the him a number of opportunities to manage and bartend at busy establishments, including out-of-state.
“I had several offers to work other places, including in Florida, but there really was only one place I wanted to be,” Jenkins explains of his motivation to assume ownership of Froggy’s.
It was “with great pleasure” that previous owners Keith Klingenberger and Deb Phillips “(turned) the reins over” to Jenkins, the formers owners wrote in a Feb. 20 Facebook post.
“Here is wishing him all the best and success,” they concluded.
Jenkins spoke highly of his predecessors, especially for their commitment to sell the business to someone committed to seeing it succeed going forward.
Klingenberger and Phillips had owned Froggy’s for the previous 21 years. The plan to ultimately sell to Jenkins began to develop around three years ago as he started to make more of the day-to-day decisions for the establishment.
“For the last few years Keith and Deb really empowered Ross to do all the managing aspects of the business, including hiring and firing and purchasing — he was doing all that,” said Ken Jenkins, Ross’ father.
While the new owner readily acknowledges there’s still plenty to learn about restaurant ownership beyond the scope of even a general manager, Ross points to that experience as integral to helping not just grow accustomed to the extra responsibility, but also to solidifying a relationship with the rest of the staff, he said.
Winter months were spent renovating Froggy’s interior and kitchen, Ross said, noting that upgrades have been made not to just the decor, but also to food and beverage systems that combined will greatly enhance the customer experience.
“We sit here and you see the new table tops, lighting and paint and it’s striking, but to me the best part was being a part of seeing it all come together,” Ken said. “A lot of the staff members were in here working long hours side-by-side to help with this work.”
Froggy’s staff worked long hours cultivating a bar/restaurant interior that’s friendly and inviting. The overwhelming sense of friends and family inside, though, was forged by the work that went into the decor, Ross said.
“This was a staff-family remodel,” he said.
The new ownership team has received similar support from Froggy’s regulars, which now includes the former owners, Ross said.
“The support from our guests has been unreal,” he said.
And that synergy between staff and guests, combined with upgraded menu offerings and new interior are reasons Froggy’s can be plenty optimistic about its next two decades on Indian Lake.
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