It’s been nearly two years since Dandelion Market served its last customers — but the wait for its return is almost over.
The popular bar and globally inspired restaurant is putting the pieces in place to reopen its doors. An official opening date is still being hammered out, but it should be by early April, says Tommy Timmins.
“It’s like we’re opening all over again,” Timmins says. “We don't want to rush it because we closed for almost two years. What's the point of not being 100% ready?”
Efforts are ongoing to freshen up the space. The longtime executive chef and general manager are back on board, and hiring is ongoing.
“Those are really major pieces of the puzzle. The food's going to taste the same as it did two years ago. The place will have the same feel as it did two years ago. That's our goal — and probably what we're going to work the hardest at,” Timmins says.
The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will have reduced hours to start as it works out the kinks and builds up staffing.
Timmins, Kevin Devin and Maynard Goble are behind that venture at 118 W. Fifth St. It has been a fixture uptown since January 2010, serving brunch, lunch and a variety of small plates.
The trio’s other establishments — Connolly’s Irish Pub, Prohibition, Tyber Creek Pub and The Workman’s Friend — have reopened one at a time as Covid restrictions eased.
But Dandelion has been shuttered since mid-March of 2020, when the pandemic closed bars and restaurants across North Carolina. One last venue — The Daily — should reopen later this year in uptown.
“It was very daunting to look at all six and try to figure out — how do you do this? It's not as simple as turning a key,” Timmins says.
Adds Goble: “We didn't ever want to come back to have to close again.”
He remembers driving to the different locations the day before St. Patrick’s Day — one of the busiest days of the year for their establishments — to lay off roughly 150 staff members, thinking the worst would be over in a few weeks. It was the first time the restaurant group had to lay off staff.
“Then weeks turned into a month and the months started adding on and adding on,” Goble says. “It was super stressful. You look back and think it couldn’t have been two years ago.”
It’s been a juggling act with rent and expenses tied to six restaurants and bars — and not all of them open. Paycheck Protection Program loans helped defray some of those costs but varied widely between establishments. Sales at open restaurants are starting to trend toward pre-pandemic levels.
“We had no choice but to reopen. That’s how we make our living. That’s what our life is wrapped up in,” Timmins says.
He’s optimistic about the future as momentum builds uptown.
“Every week just gets a little louder and a little louder. I think it’s just primed at this point,” Goble says.