Springfield restaurant that opened this year changes name

A relatively new offering to Springfield's restaurant scene is changing its name after opening earlier this year.

Kobe Club Steaks, which launched at 2058 S. Glenstone Ave. with a series of soft openings in March, is now doing business as Will's Chophouse, according to a Facebook post. Owner Will Neal told Springfield Business Journal in October 2024 that the Kobe Club Steaks name paid homage to his Kobe Club online membership service and shop, and the words “King of Beef” installed on the building represented a tagline used by Kobe Club in marketing materials. 

"Many of you told us that [the] Kobe Club name and King of Beef slogan are confusing, thus we decided to simplify," restaurant officials said in the Sept. 6 Facebook post, noting plans to change signage and remove the King of Beef slogan. "This is Will's Chophouse – really has been since day one. Nothing else is changing other than we're adding some exciting menu items and looking forward to the future."

The signage along Glenstone Avenue has since been changed to Will's Chophouse, and restaurant officials said in a follow-up Facebook post yesterday that the decorative waves on the building – a holdover from the property's previous use by 5 Spice China Grill – would be removed, as well.

Neal previously told SBJ that he's been raising wagyu beef cattle for 16 years, with operations in Holcomb and Seymour. Neal operates a company called Neal Meats LLC, which has a beef and pork processing plant in Seymour, and he said his Kobe Club online membership service and shop have been featured on SiriusXM radio and Fox News. Kobe Club has sold to customers in all 50 states and Canada, he said last year. 

His restaurant in Seymour under the Kobe Club name closed after about eight months in advance of the Springfield launch, SBJ previously reported.