People sit May 3 inside a new outdoor dining spot called the B&S Grotto in front of Brick & Stone Tavern, 136 Congress St. in Rumford, during the grand opening. Entertainment was provided by The Sisterhood of the Ravens Moon. (Bruce Farrin/Staff Writer)
RUMFORD — A new outdoor dining spot has opened on Congress Street, offering a place to eat while taking in the sights downtown.
The Brick & Stone Tavern celebrated its new 250-square-foot dining area, called the B&S Grotto, with a grand opening and ribbon cutting recently.
Owners Marc Hordon and Lucas McArdle started talking with town officials near the end of last summer about the idea of having the outdoor dining spot. A new ordinance allowing it was passed by voters in November. Hordon said these are common in many larger communities, but is a new look for this community.
The Grotto, built over two parking spaces in front of the restaurant at 136 Congress St., opened a couple weeks ago but hasn’t gotten much use yet because of the cool temperatures.
Hordon, who came here from New Hampshire six years ago, said he has a dream “that one day this street will have multiple places to eat outside to draw attention to this town like it used to be. It has such great potential. The most exciting thing about this is … we all get to sit outside and get to be reminded about how beautiful this place is.”
He said the Grotto, located across from Town Hall and the post office, will add to life on the main street.
“It’s new and exciting, and gives us more seats,” he said, noting there are four tables. “We’re doing everything we can to add to the beauty of this street.”
After the ribbon cutting, with Greg Adley doing the honors, entertainment was provided by a half a dozen members of The Sisterhood of the Ravens Moon.
The wooden outdoor structure is built with hemlock and some pine.
“We probably could have done something more simple and had an easier time with it, but at the end of the day, this entire area was built with wood,” Hordon said. “Logs coming down the Androscoggin is how this town was built. And a lot of people here still work in the woods.
“If we were to extend our name from Brick & Stone, it would be Brick & Stone, and Steel & Wood,” he added.
Hordon said he started putting the Grotto together soon after the project got approval from the Select Board on April 2.
“Some of these logs started off as trees on my property. Then we milled them,” he said.
A second public hearing was held April 16 because the town had not notified abutters about the project — part of the Grotto extends into the space in front of Davis Florist.
“This is the first time that we’re all doing it,” Hordon said. “Obviously, there’s going to be growing pains and when the wonderful ladies of Davis Florist were frustrated about it, I could totally understand at the beginning of it. We had one meeting. We got together, talked about it, came up with a solution, and now their flowers sit on our tables (in the Grotto).”
The Grotto was inspected April 17 by Code Enforcement Officer Richard Coulombe, who granted their occupancy permit. The business held a soft opening shortly after that.
Hordon said the outdoor seating area will be used during regular business hours, and “people using the Grotto will be waited on and served, just like in the main portion of the business.” It is also handicapped accessible.
On opening day of the Grotto, Hordon said people going down the road were honking and cheering. “It was actually a lot of fun.”
The new town ordinance allows the Grotto to be used only through September, when it will have to be removed before snow season.
“There have been so many hands that have gone into this from the moment that we opened,” Hordon said. “So much community support and so much help. Luke and I have invested a lot into it — time, money, sweat and energy. It would not have come about without this exceptional amount of support, from beginning to end, from the town. It really has been a community project.”
