COLDWATER — Joe Galinski started work for Jim Tong last year as manager of JT’s Billiard Bar & Grill.

With the death of Tong, Galinski now owns the popular restaurant and entertainment venue at 50 E. Chicago.

Former customers on social media showed displeasure with his plan to create an Italian American steakhouse, the American Dream, a type of restaurant not here now.

“Coldwater is a smaller town with a lot of the same type of food,” Galinski said. 

The new owner talked about surveys done by the city and chamber of what food people would like to see.

“Jim and I talked about it," Galinski said. "He thought we should, you know, I should bring Italian to Coldwater since you guys don't have an Italian restaurant.”

The chef plans a grill featuring steaks chicken and fish with a series of about six Italian recipes. These can be ordered alone or mixed and matched with grilled items.

A Michigan native from Westland just outside Detroit, Galinski trained in Europe as a chef.

As manager, Galinski said JT's remained the same while Tong was owner. By March, he will have the pool tables out, other changes inside with a new menu in place. The bar remains with food service continuing on the patio.

Galinski also said he will move bands outside with an improved patio.

“We still will be doing live entertainment," Galinski said. "We are building them a stage outside in a tent area, so that way everybody can see them and enjoy them.”

Inside the entertainment will continue but more on the softer acoustic side hopefully featuring longtime favorite Delbert Wallings and others.

Galinski is a trained chef who studied at the Le Cordon Bleu in France.

“I did spend a year in Italy cooking at a couple different restaurants," he said. "I do have an Italian cooking background. I think it'd be great for the for the town.”

Galinski spent the last decade in Indiana now in Ft. Wayne.

“I also worked for some of the top steakhouses in Dallas and I did some barbecue down in Austin.”

The chef wants to market the restaurant to the region not just Coldwater “to get people from other towns, Battle Creek, Lansing, and Jackson, all these other towns, to get them to come to Coldwater, to enjoy what Coldwater has to offer.”

Galinski said of the prior operation where he wanted to make changes. “I was the general manager before it closed. People need to understand I had to listen and do whatever the Tongs wanted me to do.”

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Galinski will be hands on chef with great steaks and food.

“I've been trying to purchase JTs since June of last year. Jim wanted me to come to the restaurant. And I told him no, in the beginning because I didn't know what was happening. Now it is going to happen.”

In March the community will see his vision.

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: New owner will change JT's to Italian steak house from pool bar and grill