WILLISTON — Spaghet, the new Italian-American eatery opened by Vermont restaurant mogul Jed Davis, was inspired in part by family lore.
As the story goes, Davis’ parents spent one of their first dates in the late 1950s or early 1960s at a restaurant called Roma in Whitehall, New York. That’s just across the border from Vermont, not far from his Rutland County hometown of Sudbury (“a suburb of Brandon,” Davis said). The eatery opened in 1927 and remained in operation before being converted into what’s now The Railyard Taproom and Restaurant, according to the latter’s website.
Davis said the Roma was the type of restaurant he’s aiming for with Spaghet, “a casual red-sauce joint with an Italian-American menu that’s going to make lots of families happy.”
Spaghet opened Jan. 16 in a new building at the Finney Crossing development in Williston, off U.S. 2 just east of Taft Corners. The restaurant shares the building with the clothing store Jane and will be joined this spring by Wild Meadows Books & Café.
Spaghet could expand a la Bliss Bee
Davis is best known for The Farmhouse Tap & Grill, the instantly popular restaurant he opened in a former McDonald’s on Bank Street in Burlington in May 2010. That one site grew into The Farmhouse Group empire that includes El Cortijo Taqueria and Pascolo Ristorante in Burlington and Guild Tavern in South Burlington. A second Farmhouse Tap & Grill opened last spring in Finney Crossing, less than a five-minute walk from Spaghet.
Spaghet is not, however, part of The Farmhouse Group. It’s a part of Awesome Times, a company Davis owns that oversees the Bliss Bee eateries in Williston and South Burlington. “I’m really the only link” between The Farmhouse Group and Awesome Times, Davis said.
Like Bliss Bee and its three locations, Davis said, the Spaghet model could be replicated if it succeeds.
Spaghet’s menu, with its Italian-American flavors, differs from Pascolo’s more upscale, Mediterranean-style fare. Spaghet features — no stunner here — spaghetti in a variety of guises (with red sauce, meatballs, sausage, shrimp and more) as well as several parm plates and sandwiches, plus Caesar salads, garlic bread and cannoli. The restaurant, which focuses on good-sized portions and modest prices, also serves wine and beer.
Takeout business doing well in Williston
The reason Davis gave for putting Spaghet in Williston is similar to the one for Farmhouse’s arrival in town that he mentioned to the Burlington Free Press last year. “There’s a lot of people here,” he said, especially with the continued growth of businesses at Finney Crossing. “There’s demand to be sure.”
Davis said business has been good at the 50-seat restaurant. He plans to add lunch hours in the spring with the same offerings as the current dinner menu.
Similar to Bliss Bee, Spaghet is doing healthy takeout business, according to Davis. Bliss Bee is about half-takeout, half-sit-down, he said, while Spaghet in its early days has seen at least a third of its customers order takeout food. The Farmhouse Tap & Grill, by comparison, only does about 2% of its business via takeout.
The new restaurant has allowed Davis and Awesome Times to promote longtime Bliss Bee employees to management roles at Spaghet. “That’s been fun to be a part of,” he said.
If you go
WHAT: Spaghet
WHEN: 4-8:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 4-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday
WHERE: 27 Market St., Williston
INFORMATION: (802) 764-0097, spaghet.com
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.
Dining and Cooking