MOUNT VERNON – By now, David Stein should be used to this.
He’s taking a break on Wednesday night during the initial soft opening (there would be another Friday) of his new restaurant, which is part of Stein Brewing Company’s space at the renovated Woodward Opera House.
He’s watching as friends and family file in, as his newly trained staff springs into action in its first live night at the restaurant, and as people smile and converse over the extensive food and drink menu the restaurant offers.
On Saturday, Stein will officially open his third downtown Mount Vernon restaurant in nine months – he began with The Joint in March, then Dave’s Cosmic Subs in June, and now this. Oh, and he opened the Stein Brewing Company taproom in October, which sits approximately 40 feet down the hall from the restaurant in the Woodward building.
Four establishments in nine months – shouldn’t the buzz wear off at some point?
“It’s really surreal right now to actually see people in here,” said Stein, his eyes lighting up as tables begin to fill. “It’s neat to see kids and families and everybody having fun, and smiling. It’s really that vision I had of what we’re bringing to Mount Vernon.”
The buzz clearly hasn’t worn off yet.
Maybe it’s because this restaurant was one of his earliest dreams. He began thinking about it back in early 2017 as something that could compliment the taproom. He initially wanted to bring a franchise to town, but he soon realized that his interests didn’t match those of the franchise, and he decided it would be best to start his own place.
The restaurant sits separate from the taproom inside Woodward Opera House (the official address is 109 S. Main St.). The entrance to the taproom is on W. Vine St., while the main entrance to the restaurant is on S. Main St. (although customers can use the taproom entrance if need be). It sits next door to Woolson Spice Company and the east windows face Main Street, just one block down from Public Square.
While Stein had originally planned for the restaurant and taproom to be conjoined, he said he doesn’t mind their separation. They are down the hallway from each other, which he says allows each place to have its own, unique style.
He said both are “kid-friendly,” although customers will receive more individualized attention at the restaurant, where they will have one server and can make reservations if need be. The taproom is different, as bartenders float around and customers may have different servers throughout the night. Both are “laid-back,” Stein said, as customers should feel as comfortable wearing jeans as they would be wearing dress clothes.
“I kind of call it an ‘upper-middle tier’ type design. Not using other restaurants in comparison, but it’s not our fast food options and it’s not our top-of-the-line; it’s a place where, if you feel like dressing up, you can. If you feel like wearing jeans, you can,” Stein said. “It’s got a definite ‘fun’ feel to it.”
Soon, Stein plans to serve the restaurant’s full menu at the taproom. Because the taproom is just a short walk from the kitchen, which is located on the restaurant side of the building’s first floor, servers will wheel meals over to the taproom on carts.
The menu features a long list of smoked foods, including wings, pig wings, chicken, pulled pork and short ribs. There are seven appetizers, including a buffalo chicken sourdough bowl and giant pretzel with SBC Beer Cheese. Soups, salads, sandwiches and select entrees also fill the menu. There is a kids menu and a host of sides to compliment the main courses.
In addition, those dining at the restaurant can choose from a deep drink menu – there are 10 draft beers listed (including seven SBC originals), as well as a collection of bottled beers and tap wine.
But what Stein is most proud of, and what he believes makes the restaurant different from a traditional smokehouse, is the extensive vegetarian menu. There are 11 vegetarian options listed, including everything from a black bean burger to “impossible meatloaf,” which is “meatless smoked meatloaf glazed with our house BBQ sauce,” the menu says. It’s served with grilled Texas toast and a choice of two sides.
“I think we definitely have the largest (list of) vegetarian options around,” Stein said. “It’s a very diverse menu. We have things for all tastes.”
Stein also believes that the restaurant’s leadership sets it apart. Because he experienced setbacks in opening the restaurant (he initially planned on opening it a year earlier), Stein was able to spend time searching for and hiring top-notch staff.
This includes Robert Lucente, the restaurant’s general manager, as well as Erin Stevens, the chef who helped curate the menu. Stevens recently joined Stein’s restaurant full-time after serving as the chef for the Columbus Crew, MAPFRE Stadium and Levy Restaurants.
Stevens has run culinary operations at stadiums across the country, Stein said, and has worked at venues as big as FedEx Field (home of the Washington Redskins, which seats 82,000 people).
Stein is confident that his kitchen’s experience and versatility will raise the restaurant to another level.
“I honestly believe we have one of the strongest kitchens in the entire area,” Stein said.
Much like the taproom, the restaurant’s interior boasts a clean, wooden feel. There are a handful of private tables near the front of the restaurant, but most of the seating is in one long room, which runs from the windows facing Main St. to the kitchen in the back.
The light brown, hardwood floor is complemented by the black, wooden walls and the grey booth seating. There are tables and booths that run along both sides of the main room, and the bar sits near the entrance.
Like the taproom, Stein’s patented “SBC” logo is stamped on several interior features, such as the dark wooden chair backs and black-and-white drink coasters.
What truly makes it a Stein creation, however, is the emphasis on ‘local,’ which is displayed on the restaurant’s most visible wall. The south wall holds both local and national murals that hearken back to the early Prohibition era – from the late 1800s to early 1900s – including pictures of old Mount Vernon streetscapes near the back of the restaurant.
The Prohibition-era photos are a tribute to the Woodward’s history, Stein said, as the building thrived during that time period (it opened in 1851). Stein said he plans to add more local murals in the future, as time constraints kept him from installing more before the restaurant’s opening.
To be fair, though, Stein has been busy enough as it is. He’s worked simultaneously on four different projects over the last two years, and after Saturday, he will have successfully completed them all. He’s employed around 90 people in the process, including 50 at Stein Brewing Company, and has introduced four unique establishments to the heart of Mount Vernon.
After over a year of non-stop running, is Stein ready to catch his breath?
“I’m going to take a break,” said Stein, donning a wry smile. “We’ve had four openings in about nine months, which some would say is clinically insane. There’s definitely franchise groups that are well-established that don’t try to do that aggressive of a plan. And I admit, it was a very aggressive plan. But I think the downtown really needed it, and it was the right time.”
Stein believes that his new restaurant could be the beginning of something bigger – a “franchisable franchise,” as he called it. He hopes to potentially expand to other towns if all goes well in Mount Vernon.
But that’s down the road. For now, Stein plans on taking a break. He’s spent the last month-plus mostly at the SBC Restaurant, and has spent the last year rushing back and forth between all four establishments. It hasn’t been easy, Stein said – many late nights and early mornings – but he gave all the credit to his staff, which has held down the fort at each location while he worked to open the next establishment.
“The best credit goes to my help,” Stein said. “I’ve got great management teams at all three places and without that, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing.”
The SBC Restaurant will be open initially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3-10 p.m., Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 3-9 p.m. Stein said he plans to roll out a Sunday brunch menu after the new year, and he will add brunch hours when that happens.
As friends and family saw the restaurant for the first time on Wednesday night, they noticed a saying that stands out on the mural-covered south wall. In white script, it says “eat local. drink local. love local.”
In six words, it depicts Stein’s mission since he moved to Mount Vernon from Columbus 10 years ago. Stein wants downtown Mount Vernon to become a food and entertainment hub – not only for those who live here, but also for visitors.
“I honestly believe we have the makings, pretty soon, to have one of the top downtown destinations around,” Stein said at his taproom ribbon-cutting ceremony in October. “And I just felt a real connection to be a part of it.”
Stein’s restaurant will open at 11 a.m. Saturday, and he expects a crowd. It will be the highly anticipated, final installment of his year-long run, which has helped spur the ongoing growth of Mount Vernon’s downtown corridor.
Three restaurants in, however, the goal hasn’t changed.
“My hopes are a full house, full bellies and everybody having a great time,” Stein said Wednesday, cracking a smile.
As Stein got up from the bar where he took questions on Wednesday night, he walked a little slower over to his family’s table. He chatted. He stayed awhile. He occasionally went table to table, asking how everyone liked their food.
He seemed oddly relaxed – a man accustomed to going 100 miles an hour at peace while cruising to the finish. He appeared reflective, happy to look back on all he’s accomplished over the last nine months. Now, the schedule will slow down – he’ll still have four establishments to manage, but he can set a more regimented schedule.
He’s going to “take a break,” he says.
Whatever that means.
