In its 32 years in Scotts Valley, Malone’s Grille has been known for several things — steaks, burgers, being one of the only watering holes in town, live music, sports nights and karaoke.
Now, following a remodel, owner Patti Malone can add “piano bar” to her restaurant’s resume.
The remodel, which began in May, refurbished the bar area, gave the building’s exterior a facelift and new coat of paint, redid the sign at 4402 Scotts Valley Drive, and created an area for local musician Chris Kelly to play his keyboard and guitar every Thursday and Friday night. He’s been at it for three weeks.
Malone said she got the idea to add a piano bar after seeing a dueling pianos act while on a trip to Las Vegas.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, I would love to have this (at Malone’s),’” she said.
During the piano bar sessions, Kelly plays classic rock and rock hits on his keyboard and guitar, and he encourages audience members to make requests and sing along.
“It’s a piano bar with a whole different scene,” Malone said. “We kind of created our thing together.”
Malone said that she found Kelly, who had done similar acts in the Chico area, to be a major crowd-pleaser.
“He’s just great — he’s got the place rocking,” she said. “People sing, dance — it’s a real high-energy situation.”
In addition to the remodel and addition of the piano bar, Malone’s recently began serving lunch and dinner from noon to 7 p.m. Sundays
“Now we’re open seven days a week,” Malone said. “People are just loving it.”
She particularly enjoyed the wide appeal of the classic rock genre of music that Kelly plays, which, she said, has been popular with younger and older crowds alike.
“Music makes people happy, and this venue is just happy,” Malone said. “What could be better than singing with your friends?”
