As profiled before in this forum, St. Joseph Restaurateur Robert Montgomery is relentless in his drive for perfection just as much as he has been an innovator. His property at 221 Main which bears the same name for his restaurant there, has been home to various iterations and scaled expansions, improvements, and other attempts to hit the sweet spot for his customers. However, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he wasn’t really sure which way to evolve.
Now, after 3 months of 221 Main being shut down due to executive order, and a lot of uncertainty in how business would move forward with the reduced occupancy of reopening, Robert wisely used the break to conduct some research. He says, “We scoured the internet to see how things were unfolding around the country.”
As other states opened before Michigan, Montgomery looked for ideas, and creativity. He says, “Street dining was hitting our newsfeed a lot. Towns were closing down some of the side streets and allowing restaurants to serve customers outside for increased capacity potential. Essentially, they were turning restaurants ‘inside out.'”
Montgomery says providing outdoor capacity helps make up for tables lost inside due to social distancing rules, adding, “Plus, it’s fun! Who doesn’t love having their meal outside in the fresh air? So we thought, ‘If they can do that in Ohio, Illinois and Florida, why not here?'” Naturally, he felt that space on Pleasant Street in downtown St Joe, right outside his door, seemed like a perfect spot.
That’s where the driven nature of Robert Montgomery steps in to take over, as he says, “The first thing I did was contact the other businesses to get their take. Pleasant is only a short block long, so not many calls needed to be made. First, there’s Silver Harbor Brewing Company at the end of the block. When I ran the idea past Mike Gross, one of the owners, he thought it was great, telling me, ‘This could be a game-changer.’ Thrive Psychology, located behind 221 Main, was immediately onboard and loved the idea of helping local businesses though reopening. And there is the new European market across the street – hopefully opening in July or August. The thought of a street plaza fit right in with their open-air market. So, okay, time to get with the city.”
Robert started sending emails to the St. Joseph City Commission looking for guidance. They were asking to close down a city street for outdoor dining – every weekend, all summer. That’s a big deal. He says, “Having never planned something of this scale, I had no idea what to expect. The city was fantastic. Within days I was in a video conference before the city commission, pitching the idea. It passed unanimously! How exciting!”
Robert next took to the task of logistical coordination of the plan. How would they block the street? How many tables could 221 and Silver Harbor put out and still maintain safe distancing? What about parking? What hours of operation would they undertake? How might the plaza affect businesses around them? How would fire trucks get down the street in an emergency? What about signs announcing the street closure? He admits, “There was a lot of work to do.”
Fortunately, Kristen Gundersen, the Community Development Director for St. Joseph, was a huge help in the effort. She put the businesses in contact with public works, police & fire, the city manager, code enforcement – basically anyone they needed in order to make the plan happen. Montgomery says, “Amy Zapal at St Joe Today offered to donate the event fencing so we could enclose the dining areas at the two restaurants. And Mike Gross at Silver Harbor jumped right in, contacting area businesses and helping coordinate meetings with the city departments.”
Finally, last Friday they had their walk through with the fire department and code enforcement officials. Fencing and tables were chalked out at 221 Main and Silver Harbor, and everything checked out. Pleasant Street Plaza was officially given the green light.
Mike Gross offered to transport the event fencing up from public works for both of the restaurants and even store it during the week. They are both very excited.
So, beginning next Friday, June 19th at Silver Harbor Brewing Company and June 26th at 221 Main, Pleasant Street Plaza will be taking place every weekend throughout the summer in downtown St. Joe.
Both restaurants will be open for street dining from noon on Friday until Sunday at dusk, when everything will be torn down and stored for the following weekend. Montgomery says, “Both 221 Main and Silver Harbor truly hope this will provide a great and safe dining experience for tourists and locals alike. We hope to see you all this summer at Pleasant Street Plaza!”
