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The Cottage Then and Now
BY David Seard
It started with an idea. What can we do to enhance our guest experience outside of an amazing bar with great mixologists? What can we offer besides an intimate Irish Pub, The Church entertainment facility, and a fun and comfortable vibe? How about serving food? From that spark of a thought and with no space indoors to make the thought a reality owners Jess and Paddy pivoted in 2020 to a food truck in the parking lot that would serve their guests during bar hours. And thus, The Cottage was born.
Throughout those 3 years, Cottage staff and management have come and gone and menus have changed, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is the desire to give the guest a full one-stop evening out with drinks, dancing, live music, and great food. That brings us to 2023.
In March of this year, the management team took a second look at the kitchen manager from another local draft house. From the moment David Sears stepped into The Cottage, he threw himself, literally, into the truck with improved techniques and processes. These small changes made a dramatic difference in the quality of the food served.
Through the first few months the guests and owners' needs, desires and improvements continued. Meanwhile, Pedro transferred to Security and we hired additional staff . Several candidates came and went until Cris Rodriguez came on board in June from Scrub Oaks. Anna was promoted to General Manager and two additional crew members, Mychelle Anderson and Joe Bullard, also from Scrub Oaks, came aboard. A new menu was created and implemented in October from sliders to burgers and the addition of new sandwichs items and fry seasonings.
As we learned the not-so-glamorous duties of running a food truck, we continued to improve on our menu and received positive reviews from our guests and staff.
We are ending 2023 on a high note. The Cottage, our food and myself were featured by reporter Tayor Shook of the Fayetteville Observer including Shook’s year-end list of favorites. As we roll into 2024, we’re just scratching the surface of what we plan for The Cottage this year. We’ll present new seasonal items, changing weekly and bi-weekly specials as well as our classics like Fish and Chips. Our goal is to make Paddy’s a food destination as well as a great bar and dance scene. We will be promoting our food and our business much more on social media, our website, and with local appearances to increase our visibility. We plan to roll out the announcement that everyone can now order on the phone or stopping by The Cottage to quickly take home handmade fresh food. Cris, Mychelle, Joe, and I welcome you to The Cottage. We look forward to making your acquaintance. Grab some food, have a drink, and stay awhile.
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