Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
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Windmill Dinner Theatre
Robert Zehr
| Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1973 |
| Owner | Doug Stark |
| Previous owner(s) | J. Scott Talbott Windmill Dinner Theatre Robert Zehr |
| Food type | Buffet |
| Dress code | Business casual |
| Location | 9301 Michigan Rd., Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, 46268, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39°55′19″N 86°13′31″W / 39.92203°N 86.22526°W |
| Seating capacity | 450 |
| Website | beefandboards |
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre is a dinner theatre located in College Park near The Pyramids on the northwest side of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is a professional dinner theatre, providing Broadway shows and plays throughout the year. In 2019, the theatre hosted 149,700 guests.[1] Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre is a member of Actors' Equity Association, the union for professional actors.[2] The theatre gets its name "Beef" because of the hand-carved roast beef served before the performances, and "Boards" referring to the boards or stage of a theatre. Prior to 2020, the theatre also offered live theatre for children productions.
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre opened in 1973, a venture by Louisville, Kentucky contractor J. Scott Talbott,[3] as part of a chain of Beef & Boards Dinner Theatres. The Indianapolis location is the only one remaining.[4] By 1977, Talbott had sold the theatre to the Windmill Dinner Theatre group. In 1980, business partners Douglas E. Stark and Robert Zehr[5] purchased the Indianapolis theatre.[6] In 1998, Zehr sold his interest in the theatre to Stark, who then became the sole owner. Today, Doug Stark and his three children own and operate the theatre.
Facility
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre seats approximately 450[6] in tiered levels around a thrust stage which includes a turntable. Mainstage shows include music by a live band, located in a loft adjacent to the stage.[3]
Food
A dinner buffet prepared by the theatre's in-house chef precedes mainstage shows.[2] Every buffet includes the theatre's trademark hand-carved roast beef.[2]