Burgers and sushi will soon replace Spud’s in Saugus.
Brothers Kevin Ye and Wan Xi Ye have agreed to purchase the Lincoln Avenue property that was once home to Spud’s Restaurant.
Kevin Ye is the owner of Oye’s Restaurant on Route 1 in Saugus, and Wan Xi Ye has been an assistant manager at Fusion House in Methuen for almost a decade. Kevin Ye also owns 2Twenty2, a restaurant in Boston, with a group of partners, he said.
The pair plan to open a new restaurant called K Pub, a high-end sports bar and restaurant that serves American and Chinese cuisine as well as sushi.
“It will be more like an Asian grill with sushi and burgers,” said Kevin Ye in an interview with The Item Thursday.
The sale is contingent upon the approval of a liquor license transfer from Spud’s by the Saugus Board of Selectmen.
The half-acre property, 7,296-square-foot building, and liquor license hit the market last fall for $1.2 million after the restaurant closed in June.
“I’m happy that it’s going to be another restaurant,” said Bruce Spaulding, who owns Spud’s Restaurant. “It was great for us for 30 years and it was great for Heck Allen’s for 30 years before that.”
Bruce’s father, Richard Spaulding, purchased the property in Saugus from Stella Allen, who owned the restaurant with her husband Ashton “Heck” Allen for more than 30 years. Heck Allen was a lobsterman for most of his life and took a risk by opening a seafood restaurant in the early 1950s, according to a June 1985 edition of The Item.
The small waterfront spot was best known for its fried seafood, steak, and boiled dinner.
After her husband’s death, it was reported that Stella Allen made the difficult decision to sell because retirement was calling her name and she had no family members who wanted to continue with the business.
Spud’s, which first opened its first restaurant in Danvers, remained at its Saugus location for nearly three decades until it closed in June. A Spud’s Restaurant still exists in Rowley and is doing well, said Spaulding.
The new restaurant will employ 25 to 35 people, according to a liquor license application submitted to the Board of Selectmen, which was obtained by The Item.
Kevin Ye said he envisions a high end sports pub where people can stop for dinner on their way home from work.
“I think it’s a good neighborhood for a restaurant between Lynn and Saugus and it will be pretty good there for people who are headed home,” he said. “Local people like to stay local.”
The icing on the cake, he said, is the view of the water though the back windows.
If he receives approval for the liquor license transfer, Kevin Ye said he expects to spend a few months on renovations before opening at the end of the summer.
