The Skinny Toby Keith loves this bar and grill. Will you?

Like Kenny Rogers Roasters and Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania before it, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill is sweeping the country at a much slower rate than the artist it’s named for. But it is growing, and its latest location is in St. Louis Park. Named for a song about Mr. Keith’s favorite watering hole, the restaurant sets out to be a gathering place for all kinds of people. (But forget the line, “If you get too drunk just sleep out in your car”—that would be probably be frowned upon in the surrounding retail district’s parking ramp.)

The space: Toby’s idealized corner bar covers 15,000 square feet, much of which is taken up by a guitar-shaped bar. (The promised mechanical bull has yet to make an appearance.) The waitresses wear bedazzled tank tops, denim cutoffs, and cowboy boots. The waiters—well, there are no waiters. There’s live music most nights, and during the day, flat-screens show NASCAR, baseball, and country videos.

Drink this: As per the restaurant’s namesake song, the beer is served in mason jars. We were hoping “Beer For My Horses” would get an appropriate menu item (perhaps a trough full of Bud that serves the whole table?), but mention the song and all you’ll get is a cocktail of beer and Captain Morgan’s Lime Bite. Do horses like lime?

Eat this: Leave your ascot at the door: This is a comfort-food joint, where the deep-fried mac ’n’ cheese bites are served with ranch dressing, and a chicken alfredo pasta is described on the menu as “nuttin fancy.” There are Southern classics, burgers, and a variety of meats slathered in Toby’s signature (and entirely nondescript) barbecue sauce. For people who need to turn eating into a sport, there’s the “Arizona 100-Ounce Challenge,” a food feat with a 32-ounce cheeseburger at its center. (Note: All the burgers are dry if cooked to their default, medium well.) But to get a real feel for the place, order a fried bologna sandwich: thick-cut bologna with a little char around the edges, gooey American cheese, fried onions, and a wholly unhealthy glob of Miracle Whip on garlic toast (which tastes suspiciously like plain white bread). It’s a meal sure to garner a response from any elitists at your table.

Economic impact: A discrepancy between actual dive bars and Toby’s: You won’t pay $10 for a burger at the dive bar. Still, 10 bucks ain’t bad, and some of the sandwiches are discounted to $8 for lunch.

Verdict: The chain restaurant is a snark magnet and its food is no better than what you’d find at Chili’s or Applebee’s, but if we had to choose between, say, Hard Rock and a place that actually features live music, we’ll take Toby’s.

Vital info: Open 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday and Monday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 1623 Park Place Blvd., St. Louis Park, 763-450-9999, tobykeith.com/Minnesota.