Dustin Gilroy and his wife, Tiffany, initially hoped to have Mad River Tavern opened by Labor Day last year, then pushed back opening a few more times during the process of renovations, hiring, inspections and staff training.
Last week, they announced on their Facebook page a soft opening Friday and Saturday, serving dinner four hours each night.
They reminded patrons that a soft opening requires patience.
“We will run out of certain food items. We will make some mistakes. We will take a little longer to get you your meal because we want to get it just right,” the owners said in their post. “We will make sure you have a clean and enjoyable atmosphere to enjoy with family and friends. We will provide good service. Please be kind to our staff and understand we are all still learning.”
Since the first weekend, the Gilroys posted they will continue a soft opening this week, but expand the number of days and hours, being open this week Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day.
The post said: “Wow, what a week last week. The first week of our soft open was a great learning experience, and the crew is getting better. We decided to have another week of soft opening to work out a few more kinks.”
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Mad River Tavern had planned to feature fried pizzas, a street food the Gilroys picked up in Italy, but those are not yet ready.
“We are still not offering our whole menu but should have all of the favorites,” the post said. “Which is your favorite so far? Walleye, ribeye, baseball cut sirloin, pork porterhouse, or something else?”
Some commenters responded about enjoying the Tavern burger, pork tenderloin and bacon cole slaw.
Mad River Tavern is not yet accepting reservations but has a wait list process outlined on its Facebook page.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey