New owner, new look
The waterfront will have a whole new look when the former Crow’s Nest restaurant reopens later this spring.
The new Waterfront Bar & Grill is undergoing a complete remodel as its new owner looks toward opening in May.
“We have a lot of work to do before then,” owner Michael Cardelle said.
It didn’t take long after Cardelle was let go as general manager at East Bay Grille for him to decide he didn’t want to leave Plymouth. After seven years managing East Bay, the Duxbury resident was exploring different job opportunities in Boston when he met with the former owner of the Crow’s Nest who was looking to sell.
The Crow’s Nest closed in February, and Cardelle started working inside the building soon after. He will renovate the downstairs dining room and bathrooms, and he’s gutting the upstairs and installing new tables, a new 40-seat bar and new windows that can be opened in good weather.
“It will be an open air bar when the sliders open up,” he said.
Views of the waterfront will be enhanced with new windows upstairs and down. He has also applied to the town for permission to build an outside patio. Cardelle said he wants to create a more comfortable atmosphere for diners. It will take some time to carry out all his remodeling plans, but Cardelle said he’s excited about this new start.
Cardelle expects healthy competition among the waterfront restaurants, competition he believes will be good for all.
“We’re going to bring more people to the waterfront, and that’s going to help everyone down here,” he said.
Cardelle plans to redefine the restaurant at 170 Water St.
“We are going to be a restaurant first and a bar second,” he said.
As one of three restaurants in Village Landing Marketplace, Cardelle wants to fit in with the Blue-Eyed Crab and Patrizia’s Italy Trattoria and become a flagship tenant. He also wants to help bring business to the retail tenants.
“We’re going to complement the rest of the Village Landing,” he said.
Cardelle isn’t the only former East Bay Grille employee who will be working at the Waterfront Bar & Grill. His former assistant manager, John Massotta, will be manager of the Waterfront Bar & Grill. For both men, owning and managing the Waterfront Bar & Grill are the next logical step in their careers.
The new restaurant will offer American fare made with fresh ingredients, Cardelle said. He wants the restaurant to be known for being fun, fresh and affordable.
The Waterfront Bar & Grill will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week and will feature a late night menu with food and a bar pizza served until midnight. There will also be live entertainment Thursday through Sunday nights in season and Thursday through Saturday nights during the off-season.