By Kris Leonhardt

Editor

MARSHFIELD — Marshfield will soon be home to a new American-style bar and grill. The Rivers Tavern will fill the void created by the closing of Di Lucas Italian Steakhouse, Seafood & Spirits at 750 S. Central Ave., which chose not to renew its lease on the property adjacent to the Holiday Inn & Conference Center.

The name of the restaurant has historical roots and is a nod to Louis and Frank Rivers, who owned a one-room boarding house in Marshfield.

“It is officially known as Marshfield’s first hotel,” said Jeanie Klinke, Holiday Inn’s senior sales manager. “Back then, the meaning of the word ‘tavern’ was a dining and overnight facility and everything that goes with it.”

The concept is not new to Marshfield’s Holiday Inn & Conference Center, whose event rooms include the Hub City Ballroom and the Doege, Upham, Roddis, Laird, Blodgett, Ives, and Hardacre rooms.

“People are proud of their city,” said Klinke. “We thought we found something that would fit well.”

The restaurant’s menu is currently being finalized but will include items such as burgers, sandwiches, steaks, and chicken. The business will also be home to a full-service lounge.

Chef Todd Liebergen has been hired to head up the preparation of pub-style American food. Liebergen has over 30 years in the restaurant industry while working in the Green Bay, Door County, and Stevens Point areas.

“I started cooking when I was little,” Liebergen said. “My grandmother taught me how to bake bread, and my mother let me help with meals. They both enjoyed cooking and feeding friends and family.

“When I was older, I had jobs in food service. They weren’t very satisfying and not what I wanted to do. Then I managed to talk my way into a job at the Wellington, a fine dining restaurant in Green Bay, where I worked with chef Ken and learned to cook the kind of food that I knew I wanted to serve my friends and guests.”

The restaurant is now close and will be altered into a classic American bar and grill, able to seat about 125 people. The Rivers Tavern will open to the public beginning Aug. 10.