Southwestern Illinois restaurant serving made-from-scratch fare wins business award

Great Rivers Tap & Grill in Alton has been chosen as August’s RiverBend Growth Association Small Business of the Month.

“The meeting of America’s great rivers, connecting north, south, east, and west, influences the offerings on our menu,” Jacinda Dunlap, director of sales and marketing for Great Rivers, stated in a recent release. “Carrying a bounty of ingredients through these influences, from Louisiana’s uniquely American cuisine in the south to the European influences of the north, is what makes our confluence of cuisines and regional bounty into an exceptional dining experience.”

“Our goal is to provide locally sourced, made-from-scratch menu offerings in a comfortable and casual atmosphere,” Dunlap said.

The menu is reviewed regularly and updated annually, or more often if needed, according to the release.

Menu items include sandwiches, mix-and-match sliders, burgers, pizza, salads, a variety of entrees and much more.

Co-located with the Best Western Premier Hotel, Great Rivers Tap & Grill opened as part of the hotel’s new features and amenities when it went through a renovation in 2016. The restaurant debuted its outdoor patio area as part of the renovation.

Changes were also made over the last year as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

“With this past year’s pandemic, we had to adapt to the service changes and needs of the times,” noted Dunlap. “We began offering curbside pickup and offered family meals for takeout. This actually helped our business grow. The community started searching for something new and found us.”

Great Rivers Tap & Grill is located at 3559-B College Ave. in Alton. Open daily for lunch and dinner, the kitchen is open 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Beverage service is until 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 p.m. Friday and on Saturdays until 1 a.m. (Sunday). Outdoor dining is available on the patio, weather permitting. Carryout and curbside pickup orders are still available. For more information, call 618-462-1220 or visit greatriverstapandgrill.com.