Business & Tech

Rock 'n' Roll Rebirth Arrives at Rony's

Friday grand opening to feature prizes, activities, guest appearances

From the boys in Van Halen to Jimi Hendrix, rock stars are infamous for their hard-partying ways, so it's fitting that a big party is about to go down in celebration of the rock 'n' roll rebirth of the former Rock Burger.

Rony (that's pronounced like Ronny, by the way) Alvarado recently purchased Rock Burger from former owner — for whom he had worked at the business's previous incarnation — and transformed the restaurant with a singular focus on switching up its persona but not dramatically altering the DNA of the menu.

"I changed the names of [the menu items], but all of them relate to rock 'n' roll," Alvarado said. "If you look at the menu and you're a rock 'n' roller you'll find something funny about each of them."

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An order of "Ted Nugent?" Yeah, you're getting chicken nuggets.

The "Simon & Garfunkel?" That's actually the nome de Rony for two plain sliders.

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But, walk into the restaurant located at 192 Rock Rd., and Alvarado's vision is fully realized: From his old drum set by the front window to the paintings of Bob Marley and Michael Jackson to the Simon and Garfunkel record cover hung on the walls to the widescreen TV tuned to VH1 Classics.

This Friday, Alvarado will formally unveil his business with a 3-day grand opening chock full of Glen Rock dignitaries, promotional giveaways and activities.

Mayor John van Keuren will be stopping by at 6 p.m. Friday, Alvarado said in an interview yesterday, and a local artist will be on hand doing sketches.

"If you tell him 'Bob Dylan' he'll draw you Bob Dylan in a second," Alvarez said. "He's awesome, this guy is crazy."

In addition he said Coca Cola had provided some schwag and prizes to be given away throughout the weekend.

But, beyond the grand opening, another role Alvarado hopes to fill with his new restaurant is that of a community gathering place.

The former RoCCa chef, discussing Glen Rock's lack of a destination for teens to meet up in the evenings, said that he hopes Rock Burger can become a place for  school-aged kids in the community to congregate when many other spots in Glen Rock have locked their doors.

The currently cash-only restaurant is open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon until 7 p.m. every Sunday.

In the future, Alvarado plans to the extend hours of operation even later into the night.

"Friday, Saturday, Sunday it gets really busy here," with teens hanging out and enjoying the Rony's Rock Burger vibe, Alvarado said.

Whether you're a teen or not, stop by this weekend for your first taste of the newest restaurant in Glen Rock.


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