Winking Lizard Likely to Open in Mid-March

The new building at Washington Square set to house a Winking Lizard, among other businesses, is inching closer to completion, with mid-March being eyed as a possible grand opening target for the popular restaurant and tavern.

Plain Township resident Fred Kobzowicz, a partner in the Cleveland-based Winking Lizard chain, is excited to launch the North Canton eatery, the 16th in the company’s history. (The 15th Winking Lizard is set to open in February in the Grandview area of Columbus.)

“This is a great opportunity for us. We think we’re a very good fit for the North Canton market and that eastern part of Stark County,” Kobzowicz said. “It’s kind of fun for me, personally, because my eye doctor is in that shopping plaza and my friend owns the UPS store in that plaza.”

The restaurant’s interior measures just over 3,000 square feet and will offer seating for about 100 people.

An indoor/outdoor bar with garage doors to literally open the restaurant up on warm days will be situated on the building’s west side. An adjacent patio will seat about 40 people.

“That will provide a really nice setting for the summer months,” Kobzowicz said.

The North Canton Winking Lizard will employ about 40 full- and part-time workers. Applications are being taken online (click this link to apply), with interviews to begin in the next couple weeks, Kobzowicz said.

According to the company’s website, the original Winking Lizard Tavern opened for business in 1983 in Bedford Heights quickly became a favorite with area residents.

Today the company operates 14 restaurants “with even higher standards of quality and execution than ever before. We continue to invest back into all aspects of our operations. The development of creative recipes, a beer list second to none, and leading-edge training programs continue to position the Lizard as an up and coming industry leader.”