Two local men have partnered with the Wellesley Restaurant Group to open the West Village Tavern at 13 Commercial Street, the former site of the regional chain 99 Restaurant and Pub.
“It’s all we know how to do. It’s what we do,” said Richard Abbott, vice president of operations for the Wellesley Restaurant Group, owners of the MetroWest brand, The Local.
The West Village Tavern is scheduled to open later this month.
“The Locals are a modern gastro pub,” said Abbott of the restaurants located in West Newton, Wayland, Wellesley, and Waltham.
The West Village Tavern “will have more of a family and local tavern-type of energy,” he said. “We want to be the local tavern for people to depend on.”
Abbott is not new to Concord. He was a regional manager at Papa Razzi in Concord for many years, having worked for Charles Sarkis, founder of the Back Bay Restaurant Group, which included Papa Razzi, Atlantic Fish Company, Joe’s American Bar and Grill chains, among others.
“The guests are fiercely loyal,” Abbott said of Concord patrons.
The 99 Restaurant and Pub had a 30-year run, with one year left on the lease before they separated from Concord, said Abbott.
Arris Partners, LLC, a real estate investment company located in West Concord, purchased the building at 13 Commercial Street, which houses the restaurant space and a barbershop, for $1.375-million in January 2022. Longtime Concord residents, John A. Garofalo and Thomas W. Sibley, are partners in Arris Partners, LLC, and two of the primary investors in the West Village Tavern.
Sibley and Garofalo reached out to the Wellesley Restaurant Group to partner with them to run the new restaurant.
“We recognize the need for a restaurant and have a vision for that space,” said Sibley. “We’re really lucky to partner with them. John and I are not restaurant operators. We’re in real estate. What these guys (Wellesley Restaurant Group) have done with their brand will resonate with Concord.”
The two men felt strongly there was a big void for family-casual quality dining in town.
“We both live and work in Concord and took on this project to do something for the town we live in,” said Garofalo.
Visit www.westvillagetavern.com for more information.
