The old saying says when one door closes another opens, and such will be the case for a long popular restaurant along Red Arrow Highway at the center of Bridgman. Coming soon is The Early Bird Eatery — a new restaurant with a unique spin on American comfort food headed for Bridgman with expectations of opening in early June, taking the place of The Olympus.
Mike and Jennifer Stone, the eatery’s new owners, are busy preparing the space that currently houses the Olympus Restaurant at 9735 Red Arrow Highway to serve a combination of eclectic and traditional dishes for breakfast and lunch.
The couple is originally from the area and are re-locating back to Berrien County from Michigan’s capital city of Lansing. Jennifer will be working the front-of-the-house operations, and Mike will manage the menu, the kitchen, and all back-of-the-house functions.
They promise that guests at The Early Bird Eatery can expect a new culinary twist on breakfast and lunch favorites as well as new items. Mike is an executive chef who earned his culinary arts degree from the International Culinary School at the Art Institute in Denver, Colorado.
Mike says, “We are excited for this opportunity to create distinctive food that is approachable for a variety of tastes.” He adds, “This has been a dream for Jenn and me to return to Southwest Michigan to raise our kids and be close to family. We are happy to open The Early Bird Eatery in the heart of Bridgman where locals and visitors can enjoy a unique culinary experience. There is a lot of activity here, and we are lucky to join the other great restaurants in the immediate area.”
The Early Bird Eatery will be open from 7 am to 3 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and 8 am to 3 pm on Saturday and Sunday. As has become tradition, the restaurant will be closed on Wednesdays. The new menu will offer a variety of options from traditional comfort food to vegan and gluten-free items and includes coffee cake pancakes, shrimp and grits, fresh salads and sandwiches.
The Early Bird Eatery is part of the Monogram Centre Project revitalizing the front door of Bridgman. The new development located at the heavily traveled crossroads of Red Arrow Highway and Lake Street in Bridgman, is being renovated to include residential and extended stay facilities on the upper levels, and retail spaces on the ground level.
For long-time customers of the Olympus Restaurant, it’s the end of an era. Fans will be able to enjoy the delicious food that has been proudly served for more than 42-years until Sunday, April 29, 2018, at 3 pm.
Elizabeth Stevens, the Monogram Centre Project’s Property Manager, says, “We are so grateful for Anastasia and Chris Lepeniotis for making the Olympus such a mainstay since 1975.” She adds, “We encourage everyone to stop in this weekend to savor one last time the food that has made Bridgman famous.” The Lepeniotis family sold the restaurant to MTM Group in January.
On Monday, April 30, 2018, full scale renovations will begin for the launch of The Early Bird Eatery, and the restaurant will reopen in early June. For more information on the new venture, click the link below, or send email to: info@theearlybirdeatery.com or call 269.465.5541.
Here’s the link for the new restaurant:
http://www.TheEarlyBirdEatery.com
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is a file photo from about four years ago showing the lunch counter inside The Olympus.
