Smokey Bones BBQ & Sports Bar Opens in Springfield Smokey Bones BBQ & Sports Bar Opens in Springfield New Restaurant and Sports Bar Offers Authentic Hickory Smoked BBQ SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 4 - Smokey Bones BBQ & Sports Bar, a unique new dining concept that combines great-tasting barbecue with a casual, energetic sports atmosphere, opened its doors recently at 1492 Boston Road in Springfield, Mass. Smokey Bones looks like a rustic mountain lodge -- a casual setting that invites you to get comfortable while enjoying St. Louis- style ribs, sliced pork, or baby back ribs slow-smoked over genuine hickory logs, all delivered by an upbeat, friendly serving staff. And no barbecue restaurant would be complete without a signature barbecue sauce to slather over pulled pork or a smoked beef brisket sandwich. The menu also features steaks and grilled salmon. Another feature you'll notice at Smokey Bones is its large, lively bar and game area. Springfield-native and General Manager Maria Lough said her new BBQ Sports Bar is a "great place for sports fans to watch the game. We have a bar and game area in the back of the dining room and we've strategically placed 52 TVs and three big screens throughout the restaurant, so there's not a bad seat in the house!" In addition, each table has an individual sound control box that lets you select the games you want to hear. Lough boasted that her restaurant has something for everyone, even the kids. "It's a real family friendly place," she said. "We have a great children's menu and entertaining games to keep the kids happy." The Smokey Bones "BBQ team" regularly competes and has won awards in several barbecue competitions across the southern U.S. and earned the right to compete against 250 national level teams in the granddaddy of all barbecue competitions, the "Memphis in May World Championships." "We make sure our barbecue is done well every day by 'judging' it like we were in the finals on the competition circuit," said Lough, who believes there are no shortcuts to serving great barbecue. "True BBQ is an art and we're passionate about the details that go into every rack of ribs and slice of meat. It's a passion we look forward to sharing with Springfield." Smokey Bones currently has seven restaurants operating in Orlando, Columbus, Ohio, Colonie, N.Y., Dartmouth, Mass., and Aurora, Ill. For more information, visit the restaurant's Web site at www.smokeybones.com. Darden Restaurants, Inc. is the world's largest casual dining company with more than 1,130 Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, and Smokey Bones restaurants, more than 120,000 employees and annual sales of $3.7 billion. Source: Darden Restaurants, Inc. Contact: Rick Walsh of Darden Restaurants, 407-245-5366 .