Walter McNabb thinks he's developed a barbecue-restaurant concept that will please everyone: the person craving pulled pork and companions who have a hankering for something different.

The food-industry veteran has teamed with Matt Marshall, owner of Marshall's Restaurant in Grandview Heights, and businessman Tom Donaldson to create Cook Shack Bar BQ, a fast-casual restaurant set to open in late October at 4093 Trueman Blvd. in Hilliard's Mill Run area.

"We're trying to appeal to more than just the meat-heads," McNabb said.

The biggest difference is that, despite the name, the restaurant offers far more than smoked meats and spicy sauce. McNabb said he got the idea for his 24-topping salad bar from the old Mill Street Bagels & Deli at 1284 W. 5th Ave. And his travels in the food industry took him to New Orleans, where he fell in love with po' boy sandwiches.

"Our shrimp po' boy will rock your world," McNabb said. "It's not fried shrimp -- it's sauteed shrimp in a buttery Creole sauce."

Full salads start at $5.29, with the "salad adventure" priced at $6.99. Sandwiches start at $4.59, with po' boys of several stripes starting at $8.95. Traditional barbecue meals start at $7.99, with combination platters ranging up to $19.99. Sides are Southern style, and range from sweet potatoes to house-made pork rinds.

The restaurant's interior will resemble a barn and seat up to 120, with a 35-to-40-seat section for meetings and parties. Hours are expected to be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Also set to open in late October is Conway's, the chain's first restaurant in Ohio, at 1692 Marion-Mount Gilead Rd. in Marion.

The franchise is owned by Robert Nagler, who has eight years of restaurant experience, and Jim Harrison, a Burger King franchisee. If all goes well, they have the option to open as many as 19 more Conway's in central Ohio within the next 15 years or so.

Conway's -- a restaurant based in Orlando, Fla., that began franchising its concept last year -- smokes all its own meat, including ribs, briskets, turkeys and chickens.

What sets the restaurant apart is that it offers what Nagler refers to as "the four corners of 'cue": mustard and vinegar-based sauces from the Carolinas; St. Louis-style sweet sauce; "smoke-and-fire" sauce from Texas; and a zesty tomato-based sauce from Memphis. All were created by the owner of Conway's, Doug Colson.

Lunch will be a walk-up counter affair, while dinner guests will be treated to table service.

The restaurant, which can seat about 150, also will have a patio that can seat 48.

Sandwiches will start at $3.99. Dinners will be priced from $9.99 to $19.99, for a full slab of baby-back ribs with two sides.

Meanwhile, Shane's Rib Shack is within weeks of opening at 1522 Gemini Place in the Polaris area. Mike Koontz, who used to work for Paramount Parks in North Carolina, brought the concept back to Columbus.

"It's real food for real people in a Southern rib-shack environment," Koontz said. "It's named for the founder and his grandfather."

Koontz said the restaurant, which can seat 75, is family-focused, with an extensive kids' menu.

The concept, which has been franchised since 2002, is fast-casual, but with waiters carrying food in the dining room. Sandwiches start at $4.59, with the signature Big Dad pork sandwich at $4.99. Shane's also offers salads and chicken items as well as the standard barbecue. Prices for full meals range from $7.99 to $17.99.

Desserts include a peach cobbler that Koontz describes as "second to none."

Aiming higher

Buckeye Subs, at 650 High St. in Worthington, is now Fletcher's Sports Cafe, with a sharp new menu to boot.

Mike Loeser bought the restaurant a year ago, but the JPMorgan Chase veteran had come to realize that his Subway-style shop needed variety, as well as its own identity.

"People don't always want to have a sub every day of the week," he said.

Loeser kept the sub station, pizzas and pizzinis, but he's added a wide variety of hot dogs (quarter-pounders and half-pounders), sandwiches and, his favorite, gourmet grilled cheese. He serves the grilled sandwiches with tomato bisque.

"We've created regional varieties of hot dogs, like the Boston, with baked beans, and a West Virginia slaw dog. And, I've got 36 toppings you can pick and choose from," he said.

Where did the name come from?

Loeser loves archery, and a fletcher is one who makes arrows.

Fletcher's is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Local bottler

Old Worthington soon will be home to House Wine, at 644 High St., a startup venture by four Worthington partners led by Donnie Austin. The wine shop is borrowing from a number of chain concepts, but the owners are banking on its local feel and adaptability to customers' wishes to set it apart.

The shop will be organized by price and variety, with a value section and a temperature-controlled room for higher-priced bottles. A variety of beers also will be sold.

Austin is featuring an Enomatic dispensing machine, which will allow shoppers to sample 24 wines. Any of the wines and beers can be enjoyed in the shop for a small corkage fee.

BW 25

You might have known them as Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck when they started out in central Ohio 25 years ago. The restaurant, begun by Scott Lowery and James Disbrow in the University District in 1982, has grown to more than 450 outlets in the United States, including at least 19 in central Ohio.

Today marks the anniversary of what is now known as Buffalo Wild Wings, and its restaurants are holding special promotions -- primarily involving wings and beer -- in honor of its success.

On Restaurants is a weekly column about the restaurant industry. Send tips, information and news releases to: onrestaurants@dispatch.com

bchronister@dispatch.com