New kids on the ‘Block’ in Mt. Lebanon
For Brooks Broadhurst, a vision existed long before he decided to buy a former auto repair garage on Beverly Road last September.
Since moving to Mt. Lebanon nearly 15 years ago, Broadhurst, formerly vice president of food and beverage at Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, realized there are very few places similar to the corner lot within walking distance to his home.
That vision will become reality with the “soft” opening of Block 292, Broadhurst’s new combination restaurant and market.
“I could see it,” Broadhurst said about the vacant cinder-block building, where renovations began in November. “A lot of people were thinking I was crazy. This was just an opportunity that popped up to do something different.
“I loved my job and everything was great,” he explained, “but this is a completely different approach.”
The approach features a casual restaurant, private dining room, small bar and full-service butcher with a retail market. Block 292 will also feature a small amount of prepared foods for takeout.
Why the diversity?
According to Broadhurst, it’s just a different way of meeting the needs of the surrounding area, especially the people who live close to the Beverly Road business district.
“There’s no place like this,” he said. “It’s a really unique location, with an elementary school basically across the street. There are very few places in the city where there is a walking school with a shopping district next door. You get to know people differently than you do in other communities.”
Keeping that neighborhood feel is essential for Broadhurst, who will try to accomplish that by supporting other local vendors, focusing on a point-of-sale and no-wait system.
After a card is in the system, a point-of-sale will allow customers to place orders ahead of time and pull up next to Block 292 to get groceries. The no-wait system will be allowed for individuals within a tight radius around the restaurant, to ensure residents they know their wait time ahead of time.
“I want people to know they can get in and out if they want to,” Broadhurst said, “to know the type of service they are going to get.”
The restaurant will feature 75 seats, while the private dining room’s maximum capacity is approximately 16 people. The bar can fit 10 and will have wine and local beer on tap.
Broadhurst knows one key ingredient to making Block 292 a success:
“You’ve got to hire the right people, and that’s what I learned in my time at Eat’n Park,” he said. “If you hire the right individuals, you can do some really great things.”