View story at masslive.com
By Tréa Lavery
Two months after its grand opening, The Mercantile is already becoming a landmark restaurant in downtown Worcester.
Since the restaurant opened on April 4, it has been consistently busy, filling up within 30 minutes of letting customers through the doors even on weekdays, according to staff. Employees have even overheard conversations among strangers talking about their meals there as far away as Cape Cod, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
“It’s neat to see that even people that far away are hearing about who we are and what we do,” said Adam Dorey, director of operations for Broadway Hospitality Group, which owns the Mercantile, and who caught such a conversation in West Hartford, Connecticut. while there two weeks ago. “The only place I can think of in New England that you’ll see anything of this capacity is Boston. It’s not Hartford and it’s not Providence. I think that we made a very bold statement as a brand and as a company in putting this here.”
The Mercantile has been a long time coming, with BHG first announcing the restaurant way back in 2019. It is the largest restaurant owned by the company, which also operates the Tavern in the Square chain and several other independent brands.
The 13,000-square-foot, two-story space seats 500 and boasts two bars and a rooftop deck right in downtown Mercantile Center. The enormous windows inside that roll up in nice weather give the entire restaurant an open-air dining feel.
“We’ve created an environment that’s approachable to everybody,” Dorey said. “From the first floor dining area where guests can focus on a quieter atmosphere and intimate dining experience; to people on first floor bar who want to be a piece of that vibrant, fun, energetic environment; to when you you come upstairs you have a sectioned-off piece of the restaurant for events and private functions; to the roof deck patio.”
That atmosphere has lent its hand to a customer experience more expected in bigger cities.
“The first thing every guests says to me when they sit at the bar is, ‘Wow, I feel like I’m in New York City or Boston,’” said bartender and Marketing Assistant Brooke Ames. “Worcester hasn’t had anything like this, so it’s cool to be a part of.”
The menu is designed around a modern American tavern theme, according to Chef Michael Morway, who directs the menus for all of BHG’s independent brands. Trendy items range from bar snacks, pizza and burgers to higher-end dinner items like steak.
“We’re still trying to get our bearings,” Morway said. “We’re adjusting basically weekly here to kind of figure out what people in Worcester want. … We want it to be approachable from 21 years old to 65 or 75. Especially if you come here on the weekends, sometimes the crowd is different from upstairs to downstairs, and we just have to try to stick with that high-quality, freshly prepared food, but not pretentious.”
Popular items so far have included the double-patty smash burger and the selection of pizzas, including the gluten-free Detroit Style pizza, which Morway said is one of the best gluten-free pizzas he’s tried.
The drink menu, too, has something for everyone, with craft cocktails, global wines and local draft beers. Those who come in with friends can enjoy an 80-ounce margarita tower, which has proven popular on the Mercantile’s social media pages.
The restaurant’s central location has helped bring in customers. Steps away are the DCU Center and the Palladium, while the Worcester Red Sox bring in hungry sports fans before and after games.
“The WooSox was a surprise. It seemed a little far, but it’s not that far, so we have to watch the schedules. Before the game it’s really busy, and right after the game we get another rush,” Morway said. “We have to keep an eye on all the concerts and comedy shows. They affect our business massively.”
Meanwhile, private events have proven popular as well. While most restaurants take a few months before they start getting buyout requests, the Mercantile already has some on the books, including for the Democratic State Convention this weekend, according to BHG Marketing Manager Bethany Rioux.
“If we would’ve allowed it, we could’ve booked out private events for six months before we were open,” Rioux said.
The future is looking bright for the Mercantile. They debuted a full brunch menu a few weeks ago to good reviews from customers. They also have approval from the city to open an outdoor patio outside the restaurant’s front doors, and may branch out to serve lunch in the future, but Dorey said they are focusing for now on getting acclimated before they branch out more.
“Whatever we do, we want to do it very well,” he said.