When Mike and Jennifer Stone took over the space that was the long time home to Bridgman’s Olympus Restaurant along Red Arrow Highway in the community, they had big plans. In fact, their long range plan was to expand into a new South Bend location.
Since June of 2018 the couple has been serving up a combination of eclectic and traditional dishes for breakfast and lunch at 9735 Red Arrow Highway, just off the crossroads of downtown Bridgman. Later that year they expanded into catering options as well.
Now, however, thanks to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the expansion plan has essentially turned into a relocation plan.
The Stones issued an e-mail to regular customers this morning foretelling the story, so we’ll let them tell it the way that they wrote it. Here is the content of the early Tuesday morning e-mail message from The Early Bird Eatery in downtown Bridgman:
We’ve got some news to share.
It’s been a crazy year and we want to thank you for your continued support over the last few months.
In 2020, our growth plan was to add another location. When COVID hit, we quickly shifted our focus to our staff, customers, and remaining safe while we navigated through protocols. Now that things have opened back up, we decided to continue moving forward with our initial plan, and are opening a new location in South Bend, Indiana. This new venture aligns with our family’s future and the growth and vision of The Early Bird Eatery. We plan to open the new restaurant in November inside the Dainty Maid Co building at 231 S. Michigan Avenue, South Bend, Indiana.
We will be closing the Bridgman location on October 25th. It was a difficult decision and we are sad to say goodbye to our loyal customers. From the beginning, the Bridgman community has extended a tremendous amount of support, and for that, we are truly grateful.
We grew up in the area, and we are thankful for our wonderful staff and strong customer-base, both contributed to our growth over the last two years. While we are moving to another location, South Bend is less than 30 miles away, and we are looking forward to seeing and continuing to serve familiar faces in our new space as well.
We will keep you updated as things evolve. Follow our social media accounts for pictures and information. We are excited about this new opportunity and hope to see you soon.
Lots of Love,
Jenn and Mike
The couple is originally from the area and had re-located back to Berrien County from Michigan’s capital city of Lansing. Jennifer worked the front-of-the-house operations, and Mike managed the menu, the kitchen, and all back-of-the-house functions.
Mike is an executive chef who earned his culinary arts degree from the International Culinary School at the Art Institute in Denver, Colorado.
