Good food, cold beer and reasonable prices. You can't ask for much more than that these days, and the Clubhouse Restaurant Bar & Grill is serving up plenty of it. Cleveland's first neighborhood bar and grill, Clubhouse will be turning 10 this fall. And according to owner Leigh Ann Grant, whose parents James and Norma opened the first Clubhouse restaurant in Garner in 1985, it's a "Cheers" kind of place, where everybody knows your name and is glad you came.

“The biggest drawback is that it’s a little hard to find us, but once you do, you like us," she said. "We’ve got good food, a friendly staff and we’re proud of what we do.”

Natives of Garner, Leigh Ann moved to the Cleveland area back in 1998, and as she settled into her new surroundings, she noticed something missing.

"I realized there was no place around here to drink a beer," she said. Leigh Ann convinced her parents to open a second Clubhouse location on Technology Drive. It has proved to be a smart move, since, like Leigh Ann, many Garner residents were relocating to the Cleveland area around that time as well who have since become regulars of the eatery.

“We’ve seen babies come into the restaurant in their carseats, and now they’re all grown up and bringing in their own families," said Leigh Ann.

This summer, many of those families have been away on vacation, but Leigh Ann said the busy season is getting ready to start up again, what with school coming back into session and football season just around the corner.

And the restaurant is planning plenty to celebrate and keep customers entertained. The annual luau will be held on Aug. 22, and the night promises to be packed with plenty of Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts, and even two parrots will be on hand to lend to the tropical ambiance. There will be a complimentary appetizer buffet, as well as karaoke, a DJ and even a limbo contest for entertainment. The event starts at 8 p.m.

“The luau is a lot of fun," said Leigh Ann. "It’s a chance to dress up and let your hair down.”

The next opportunity to let loose will be Aug. 29 with a live performance by Al Williams & The Assembly Band. A friend of the Grant family and "quite the showman and entertainer," Williams will be performing dance, Motown and beach music. And be ready to join in on Williams' famous "Love Train" and dance your way around the restaurant. The concert will begin at 9:30 p.m.

Clubhouse also welcomes karaoke singers and DJs every Saturday night. And if you're looking for a place to watch your favorite game or sporting event, chances are it's playing on one of the eight televisions situated throughout the restaurant. According to Leigh Ann, Clubhouse will be participating in NFL Sunday Ticket throughout the football season and showing up to eight games every Sunday, so no matter who you root for, chances are you'll be able to cheer them on while enjoying a cold beer on tap or one of Clubhouse's signature dishes.

Clubhouse offers lunch and dinner with a mix between bar-type appetizers and family style fixings, including fried okra, country fried steak, crab dip, wings, burgers, wraps, sandwiches and much more. Leigh Ann also said they're known for their eight-ounce sirloin steak.

"It's almost like a filet," she said. "It is consistently one of the best cuts I've ever seen. It's cut fresh and delivered to us within 12 hours. And when it's on special for $9.95, you can't beat it."

The restaurant also offers various food specials throughout the week, such as 45 cent wings on Mondays, and drink and tap specials every day.

“We’re still doing things the way we’ve always done them, but we’re continually updating our menu and interior," said Leigh Ann. "We go at it every day to keep it going for our customers, to keep it fresh and keep us in the running.”

She added that the menu is updated every six months, and her father, who apparently missed his calling on HGTV, is always on the lookout for ways to improve and renovate the interior. One such improvement was doubling the size of the bar from 18 seats to 36.

The Grants sold the Garner location in 2000 to focus on the Cleveland location, and since that time have seen many other restaurants cropping up around them. But Leigh Ann said the competition is a welcome addition.

“I love that there are more restaurants out here now," she said. "It does take a cut out of our business, but the more restaurants that are in the area, the more people will stay in the area to eat.”

And Leigh Ann expects her family's restaurant will be in Cleveland for many years to come to serve those customers.

“Twenty-five years in the restaurant business ought to tell you we know what we’re doing," she said. "We have bad days and bad moments, but I love that my job is about meeting people, giving them something good to eat and making their day a little better if I can.”

Clubhouse is located at 51-A Technology Drive, behind the Food Lion shopping center. They open Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday at noon. The kitchen serves a full menu until 10 p.m. and the bar is open until 2 a.m. Clubhouse has all ABC permits and an outdoor seating area. For more information, call (919) 662-2207 or visit www.clubhouse4042.com.