Eight years after he left his namesake 蜜柚直播 burger joint, Lindon 鈥淟indy鈥 Reilly is heading back to the kitchen at .
Reilly will run the kitchen for the months-old Burgertime Management Corp., which last month bought the iconic North Fourth Avenue restaurant that Reilly launched in December 2005.
Burgertime, which formed in August as a 蜜柚直播 restaurant management company, acquired Lindy鈥檚 in November from owner Shannon Cronin, Reilly鈥檚 mother and former business partner.
Cronin put the restaurant up for sale last summer after running it since 2017, when Lindy鈥檚 moved across the street from its original location at 431 N. Fourth Ave. to 500 N. Fourth. Reilly left the business shortly after the move.
Burgertime founder and managing partner Conrad Rodriguez said the goal of him and his partners, Ryan Glass and Kristina MacLean, is 鈥渢o bring the brand back to prominence and to give it the love and attention we felt it deserves.鈥
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They brought Reilly in several weeks ago to consult on the menu. Eventually, Rodriguez said, Reilly and his wife, Shelly, will become partners in the venture.
Reilly said his goal is to revamp the menu and 鈥渂ring back my attitude in my food.鈥
Lindon 鈥淟indy鈥 Reilly, owner of Thunder Bacon Burger, is heading back to the kitchen at Lindy鈥檚 on Fourth, eight years after he left his namesake 蜜柚直播 burger joint.
鈥淚t will definitely be more bar and grill than burgers,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to expand the menu and bring the burger menu down considerably. We鈥檙e going to return to the original idea of having a full bar and sandwich and burger menu.鈥
Plans include bringing back some Lindy鈥檚 favorites including the hot-and-spicy Donkey Punch and rebuilding the mac 鈥榥 cheese burger. He also wants to add sandwiches and salads, which he is calling 鈥渂urger bowls.鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 just kind of bringing back some of my flavor profiles and what I do with food there,鈥 Reilly said Thursday, including reinventing the house Lindy鈥檚 Sauce and adding new appetizers.
Alfredo Aguilar Jr., an award-winning mixologist who worked with Reilly early on at Lindy鈥檚, also is back in the fold as general manager, Reilly said. Aguilar followed Reilly out the door back in 2017.
Lindon 鈥淟indy鈥 Reilly, owner of Thunder Bacon Burger, 33 N. Sixth Ave., has plans to expand his footprint into 蜜柚直播 Hotel Apartments and the former Miss Saigon restaurant in downtown 蜜柚直播.
Reilly is adding the new Lindy鈥檚 role to his already full plate that includes expanding his 3陆-year-old restaurant at 33 N. Sixth Ave., that he opened with his daughter, Nicole Chisler. In addition to the father and daughter, Reilly鈥檚 wife, son and younger daughter all work at the restaurant.
Reilly plans to open a full-service bar and a deli with grab-and-go items in two neighboring spaces including the former home of , which has been vacant since the restaurant moved in November 2023 from 47 N. Sixth to the ground floor of the 蜜柚直播 Electric Power building at 88 E. Broadway Blvd.
Reilly said he hopes to have the bar and deli open by fall 2025.
Lindon 鈥淟indy鈥 Reilly, owner of Thunder Bacon Burger, left, talks Friday to Jimmy Hixson, its kitchen manager. Eight years after he left his namesake 蜜柚直播 burger joint, Reilly is heading back to the kitchen at Lindy鈥檚 on Fourth.
Reilly admitted he is about to have his hands full, but 鈥淟indy鈥檚 coming into the fold was an opportunity I was excited about,鈥 he said.
鈥淚 love Conrad and I love what he wants to do with it,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd the opportunity to come back fully felt right.鈥
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Bluesky @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
