'Motley Crews Heavy Metal Grill' Owner Pressing Ahead With Plans To Open Restaurant

According to StarTribune.com, the owner of the Motley Crews Heavy Metal Grill food truck — which exploded on March 6 in Lakeville, Minnesota, damaging up to 20 homes and injuring two people — is pressing ahead with plans to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown Lakeville in June.

The restaurant, also named Motley Crews Heavy Metal Grill, will take over half of the old Ace Hardware building on Holyoke Av.; Angry Inch Brewing will be in the other half.

"Lakeville residents have been so supportive of this," Motley Crews Heavy Metal Grill owner Marty Richie said. "They're just so beside themselves to get us there. There's so much demand. They really want this place to happen."

The restaurant will expand upon the beer-friendly food menu already offered on the truck that includes several varieties of Philly sandwiches, burgers and seasoned pretzels.

The restaurant expects to have a 25-by-15-foot stainless steel bar as its focal point.

The exact cause of the Motley Crews Heavy Metal Grill explosion has not yet been determined. The investigation into the incident could take weeks, authorities have said.

Richie of Lakeville started Motley Crews Heavy Metal Grill — which apparently has no affiliation with the band MÖTLEY CRÜE — in 2012 and went full-time with the operation in 2013 with his partner, Lisa Caulfield.

Richie explained how he first came up with the idea to start Motley Crews Heavy Metal Grill. He said: "Motley Crews Heavy Metal Grill came to life one day after reading an article about the food truck craze on Entrepreneur.com and it hit me like a bolt of lightning. With over 15 years in the restaurant industry and 12 years of marketing experience, a food truck would be my destiny!"

He continued: "Growing up in the '80s was absolutely awesome! I mean, like, totally awesome! A timeless generation of quirky catch phrases, freaky fashion and music, oh, yeah, the music! '80s rock is still alive and as strong as ever, many are still rocking today and local bands like HAIRBALL keep this generation alive!

"An '80s-rock-themed food truck it [was going to] be, [and] now I needed a name. I knew that I did not want to brand myself as a certain type of food truck and that I wanted the freedom to change my menu with the season or for that matter the mood I was in. This would not be possible with 'Hot Dog' or 'Philly' stamped on the side of my truck. 'Food That Rocks' is what I [decided to] make."

For more information, visit the Motley Crews Heavy Metal GrillFacebook page.