To say it simply, Griff’s was–well, it was alright. In the words of the friend who accompanied me, “It’s okay, nothing special, pretty much an average sports bar.”

Average.

I would go back, but only because I don’t have my driver’s license, so I can’t get very far, and Qdoba gets old sometimes.

I ordered the bourbon sriracha boneless wings and the loaded fries, with a cherry Pepsi. I will admit, the boneless wings were huge–a much better value than the bone-in wings, at the same price–and the flavor was good, just not great. And at the price Griff’s was asking, $6 for five wings, I kind of expected greatness. After all, they are made by a restaurant with the namesake of greatness: Darrell Griffith.

The loaded fries weren’t exactly loaded, but they were topped with a hefty amount of (slightly burnt) bacon. The small plate definitely wasn’t worth $7 though.

The highlight was the service. It wasn’t speedy, but we did come in right at the tail end of the U of L game. We were seated right after the game ended, and the wait staff was extraordinarily friendly. Our waitress, Katie, never approached our table without a smile and an “if you need anything, my name is Katie!”

The environment was kind of confusing, though. It was as if someone had tried to renovate a sit-down restaurant into a sports bar, when really, the opposite is true. Clucker’s made a much more open, light environment with the space. Griff toned the colors down, painting the dry-wall walls maroon, and adding stone accent walls. He also extended the kitchen area, so there is less seating.

One thing that did impress me was that Griff, himself, hung around the establishment. And I don’t just mean in the form of the 104508105 photos of himself he has hung up on every surface. Dr. Dunkenstein walked around his establishment, taking photos with fans and affirming his employees.

But it was a little weird that there were so many photos of Griffith around the room. I get it, it’s called Griff’s, but it turned out looking like a shrine to the man. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

“We wanted to have some pictures of me around the walls that people hadn’t seen before and make it a classy place with good food and good service,” Griffith said. “If you get that, it’s a winning combination.”

I’m not sure he has come up with a winning combination yet, but with the Griffith name and the decent start, Griff’s has the potential for Griffith greatness.