By Heather Lusk
The restaurant was supposed to be a quick and easy turnaround – a few coats of paint and the doors would reopen – but owner Brian Avery’s initial plan grew into a bigger vision that will be fulfilled when the Village Kitchen opens its doors in June.
“It’s gone from what we thought would be a basic cafe to a breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant,” owner Brian Avery said.
The building has been rewired and brought up to code. More lighting has been added. Walls have come down and been reconstructed. Outlets have been upgraded to include USB plugs.
“It’s an old building so you have to work with what you have,” Avery said, “but we made the best of it.”
JR Reynolds of Reynolds Construction has led the remodel, which both Reynolds and Avery agree led to challenges and necessary adaptations.
When complete, the atmosphere will encourage visitors to spend time and not feel rushed.
“We want you to sit, plug in your phone with a laptop, get some work done if you need to and have some coffee and breakfast,” Avery said.
Their most unique lunch option will be salad construction: patrons will choose from a checklist of 15 to 20 options to create a salad. Then the staff will custom build it.
The chef, kitchen manager and assistant manager have been hired and Avery is eager to get the team comfortable in the updated kitchen. He’s still hiring some kitchen and part time staff and would like to bring in employees with special needs.
“I’ve done that in multiple places,” he said, referring to previous restaurants. “It’s good for everybody.”
The Village Kitchen is scheduled to open June 5, but soft opening dates are expected to be announced through the restaurant’s Facebook page.
