Two New Duluth Area Restaurants Hosting Join Grand Opening Celebration Event

Two of the Northland's newest dining establishments are getting ready to celebrate their grand opening in a joint event to end the month.

Just north of Duluth in the Island Lake area, a bar & restaurant and a drive-in style eatery will be sharing a celebration to kick off the long Labor Day weekend. While both businesses have been serving customers for much of the summer, they're throwing a bash to celebrate being open and the conclusion to a fantastic summer.

What businesses are celebrating their grand opening?

Smiling Loon Bar & Grill opened on June 8 on Rice Lake Road right before you cross Island Lake, serving up drinks and a full menu of salads, sandwiches, burgers, and appetizers (like their Northwoods Wild Rice Poutine, which sounds amazing!) through the summer.

The addition of other entrees like Spinach Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast, Honey Bourbon Baked Salmon, and Savory Garden Herb Marinaded Flank Steak being added to the menu in September.

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Right next door is the classic drive-in style Jack Frosty Drive-In, cooking up drive-in classics like hot dogs, smash burgers, corn dogs, and chicken strips along with sweet treats like shakes, malts, sundaes, and ice cream cones,

Jack Frosty started serving with a soft opening on June 1, also offering a series of weekly movie showings they billed as "Movies in the Park", with shows like Happy Gilmore, The Never Ending Story, and The Goonies being shown on Friday nights this summer.

What are the plans for the grand opening celebration?

Together, both businesses will be welcoming guests for a celebration on Friday, August 30.

The joint event will feature things like beer, wine, and liquor tastings, free snacks, live music, and a bouncy house. The celebration will begin at 3:30 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the party will continue into the evening.

Capping off the night, their final listed "movie in the park" will be happening too!

A showing of the classic 1971 movie "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" will happen at sunset, which is around 8 pm.