Today (Friday, June 18) a full tiki bar — including beer, wine and cocktails — officially opens at Perrins Landing’s Paradise Cove Bar & Grill, three weeks after its new owners revealed their refresh of the long-loved Leelanau County destination (formerly South End Tiki).

Even without the lure of umbrella drinks initially, business partners Barb and Jerry Kleinfeld and son Todd Kleinfeld say people have been flocking by land and water to their South Lake Leelanau spot (9851 South Perrins Landing) to check out what’s new.

Most visibly, the Kleinfelds have invested in an overhaul of the waterfront and seasonal 29-slip marina, with the dredge completed this week. They still offer 12 in-and-out day slips and on-site gas and have also breathed new life into the 19-site RV campground on the property. 

Barb Kleinfeld tells the Leelanau Ticker, “we could not have done this without our family coming on board.” Barb’s brother Mike Scanlon and his wife Teresa Scanlon made the move from Florida to run the kitchen and lead its service team; Mike’s son Spencer Scanlon — who serves on the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department — is also pitching in; his fiancé Erin Fluharty is running the daily operations at the campground.

The Kleinfelds' granddaughter Iris Kleinfeld is bar manager. Among the cocktails she’s debuting today: the “Cherry Festival,” a vodka-spiked cherry lemonade. The grilled walleye taco on the new menu has been the runaway hit so far. “They are flying out the door,” says Todd Kleinfeld, “27 percent of revenue.”

Barb Kleinfeld notes that as with many hospitality businesses in the region they are currently seeking staff and are closed on Mondays — for the time being — to allow a break for the current team.

In addition to opening with the support of her family, Barb adds she was delighted to kindle a new relationship with the family of Perrins Landing’s namesakes. (Daniel and Julia Perrin were Detroiters who purchased the land in 1927 and established a cabin colony at the site of the current Paradise Cove.) She says the Perrins have stopped by, shared historic photos of the property, and one family member who is an artist has offered to paint a landmark Paradise Cove road sign.

Stay looped in on Paradise Cove happenings on Facebook.