Inside the new Pig & Pearl at 2053 W. Broad St. (Photos by Michael Thompson)
A Fan area restaurant property has finally been brought back to life.
The Pig & Pearl opened Nov. 16 in the former Republic space at 2053 W. Broad St.
Owners Mathew Appelget and Season Malan Appelget began construction on the 5,000-square-foot space four months ago.
The Pig & Pearl has a patio, a dining area, a raw bar, and a cigar and whiskey lounge. Its menu, as its name suggests, features pork and oysters. There are 20 beers on tap and 90 whiskeys available. Entrees run between $10 and $15.
Owners Season Malan Appelget, left, and Mathew Appelget.
After the Republic closed, the Appelgets considered some potential tenants but ultimately decided to go it alone.
“We felt like we’d have more control over the tenants, which in this case is ourselves, and more control over the product offered to the community,” Mathew Appelget said. “We wanted to use the opportunity to create a successful business in a community we live and work in every day.”
Appelget also owns three scrap yards through his company River City Recycling, which he launched in 2012.
The Appelgets are using Lockhart Farm in Woodford, Va., and Potomac River Oyster Company to help stock the menu.
They recruited Will Gravely as chef and 38 other full- and part-time employees for the new venture. Appelget said renovation costs ran to six figures. The work included a new air purifier for the cigar lounge and a new HVAC system.
They are still planning renovations for the patio, which they hope to have done by March.
The Appelgets bought the building in 2008.
Inside the new Pig & Pearl at 2053 W. Broad St. (Photos by Michael Thompson)
A Fan area restaurant property has finally been brought back to life.
The Pig & Pearl opened Nov. 16 in the former Republic space at 2053 W. Broad St.
Owners Mathew Appelget and Season Malan Appelget began construction on the 5,000-square-foot space four months ago.
The Pig & Pearl has a patio, a dining area, a raw bar, and a cigar and whiskey lounge. Its menu, as its name suggests, features pork and oysters. There are 20 beers on tap and 90 whiskeys available. Entrees run between $10 and $15.
Owners Season Malan Appelget, left, and Mathew Appelget.
After the Republic closed, the Appelgets considered some potential tenants but ultimately decided to go it alone.
“We felt like we’d have more control over the tenants, which in this case is ourselves, and more control over the product offered to the community,” Mathew Appelget said. “We wanted to use the opportunity to create a successful business in a community we live and work in every day.”
Appelget also owns three scrap yards through his company River City Recycling, which he launched in 2012.
The Appelgets are using Lockhart Farm in Woodford, Va., and Potomac River Oyster Company to help stock the menu.
They recruited Will Gravely as chef and 38 other full- and part-time employees for the new venture. Appelget said renovation costs ran to six figures. The work included a new air purifier for the cigar lounge and a new HVAC system.
They are still planning renovations for the patio, which they hope to have done by March.
The Appelgets bought the building in 2008.