Business booming at The Tavern under new management | Local News

Nearly two months into business, The Tavern on the Square owners are still recommending reservations every day for the surging restaurant.

Since owners Maggie and Matt Noble reopened The Tavern on May 29 after about a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, the business has seen plenty of locals and out-of-town guests. Matt Noble said he has met customers from Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Sewickley who have come for years, and others who come for the live music on Thursdays.

“We’ve been extremely busy from the day we opened the doors, and it’s only getting busier,” he said.

Despite having to turn away some large groups without reservations during peak hours, the owners do not plan to expand beyond the restaurant’s 99-person capacity.

“I’d rather do less quantity than lose the quality,” Noble said.

The parking lot was full for lunch at 2 p.m. last week, and customers were still coming. The restaurant has been so busy that the owners are considering extending Friday and Saturday operations an additional hour until 10 p.m.

In addition to the seating on the porch, Noble said the owners plan to add more outdoor seating on the terrace built in the back of the building. The owners do not consider these additional seats in the building’s capacity and do not reserve them due to the unpredictability of weather.

Noble said he is trying not to react too quickly to the restaurant’s early success. Some menu items lagged when The Tavern first reopened, but he said sales across the menu have become more consistent as word of mouth spreads.

“I have already seen the life that (The Tavern) has brought back into my beloved town, and I can see the pattern continuing as many commercial buildings have changed ownership,” Mayor Sherie Babb said.

Babb said the renovation has exceeded her expectations, and many new businesses and faces have come to New Wilmington.

Some of The Tavern’s top-selling items have been the burger, which comes from the Moose Family Farm less than four miles away, the chicken and a biscuit, which features a house-made chicken stew with a house-made biscuit set into it, the fried chicken sandwich, the pork chop and the pizza.

Noble said the kitchen typically adds a new pizza every couple of weeks but keeps some consistent recipes like the pepperoni pizza.

He was also surprised by how well items on the cocktail menu are selling and said the lavender lemonade is the best-selling cocktail.

“Right out of the gate, people told me how excited they were to be having a craft cocktail in little New Wilmington,” Noble said. “They couldn’t believe it.”

Noble said brunch was not a hit out of the gate, but business has increased. The Tavern is only open for brunch for four hours Sunday and has a dedicated brunch menu. The owners and executive chef Matt Huffman have added a brunch burger to appease those looking for lunch options, Noble said.

The owners have heard many customers compare old iterations of The Tavern and classic menu items to the current business. Noble said most people are pleased to see how the building and menu have been preserved and excited about the Noble’s additions and improvements.

The owners also still plan to renovate the fenced outdoor area adjacent to the building and transform the windows in the back into carry-out stations.