Easy G celebrating its fifth anniversary

Easy G Sports Grill is celebrating its fifth anniversary this Sunday, and the public is invited to the party.
Easy G will hold its annual golf tournament on Sunday, September 5, at the Concordia Golf & Wellness Country Club. The 4-Person Scramble format has cash prizes for the top teams as well as Easy G gift cards for specialized shots, such as the longest putt, longest drive, and closest to the pin.
The deadline for entries is Saturday, September 4. Proceeds are donated to the Concordia Fireworks display, in honor of Leon Gennette.
After the golf tournament, the party starts at the Easy G Sports Grill for a mountain oyster eating contest at 5 p.m., followed by Lizard Skin karaoke beginning at 9 p.m. There will be free drawings throughout the evening, with prizes including tickets to the K-State/Iowa State football game on October 16; Kansas City Chiefs tickets, T-shirts, hats, and gift cards.
Co-owners Chad Sallman, Tom Gennette, and Ty Gennette take special pride in how their business has grown in its first five years. What began in 2009 with an idea talked about at family gatherings has now become an important facet of downtown business, and a nightly anchor of activity for the Main Street area.
"We had talked about doing a sports bar for years," Sallman said. "And then Tom bought the building in 2014, and we were in it."
"I was retiring, so I just said: let's do it," said Tom Gennette. "We knew the Broadway Plaza was going to be a real thing, and we wanted to be close to it."
What followed next was almost two years of sweat equity work and a shoestring budget that turned the building at 107 West 6th Street into a sports bar and grill.
"It's what we dreamed of," said Tom, "and really, in a lot of ways, it's beyond my expectations. I thought we'd have a nice place to watch games. The food side of it really changed what the bar was all about, and made this a great place to come and eat."
"Tom and I pushed the atmosphere, what the bar should be about, and Ty really pushed for the food part of it," Sallman said. "The combination of both has made us successful."
"I remember after that first night, opening night," Ty said. "We were sitting on the back porch, and it was just kind of surreal. We really did it. We opened a restaurant. And it's the kind of place we felt the town needed. A place where you can come and watch a game with your friends, or bring your family in for a meal."
"We're always trying to improve as we go along," Tom said. "But our number one goal will always be the same: treat the customer right."
The first five years had their ups and downs, especially dealing with the Covid lockdown, but the business persevered. And now the talk is where to go next.
"Me, personally, I'd like to expand someday," Tom said. "At my age, I don't know how much longer I'll be involved with the ownership." He then grinned and pointed at the row of chairs in front of the elongated bar. "But I'll always be sitting in one of those chairs."
"It would be nice to add more space," Sallman said. "And we've been approached to open an Easy G in other towns. I don't know about that. The combination of the three of us has worked perfectly. We've had our differences, but we found common ground and built a great place, and I'm really proud of that. I would maybe like to see an Easy G in Salina someday. Either way, I plan to stay for the long term."
Ty Gennette has mixed emotions about expanding, or turning Easy G into a franchise. "I'm a small-town family guy; I love what I do. Some day I'd like to see somebody else doing my job and try different endeavors. I would like to see other things happen in Concordia that bring new business and more people to town. I'm a big believer in what my grandfather (Leon Gennette) always tried to do for Concordia. I think there's other businesses that would fit really well in this town that I might like to be a part of."
The Gennettes and Sallman wanted to especially thank the community of Concordia, and people from all the surrounding towns who make Easy G a regular stop. "Probably fifty-percent of our business is from out of town," said Ty Gennette. "As always we would like to thank the community, county, and surrounding area for their continued love and support. We love you like you love our Ranch!"
The three owners also wanted to express their heartfelt thanks to their staff. "A big thank you to our staff," Ty Gennette said. "We've really been blessed with the staff we've had here, and we couldn't have done this without them."