The Jewish Mother Backstage in Norfolk has closed, but that has not changed plans for the restaurant and music venue to open in Williamsburg.
Owner Scotty Miller will be in town Wednesday submitting building permits for his new restaurant set to open March 1 in the city-owned Triangle Building on Scotland Street. The restaurant will be divided into two sections with a New York-style deli on one end and live music and dining on the other.
The business will have a professional audio system, restaurant, delicatessen, full bar and outdoor dining area. Miller said it will offer something not available to students and residents seeking dining and entertainment in the downtown area.
“From what I’ve seen from around that area, we’ll be serving things that aren’t offered right now,” he said.
The Jewish Mother represents the final tenant, signed for a five-year lease, in the city-owned Triangle Building to bring it to full occupancy for the first time since 2011.
The business is one piece to a city push to bring vibrancy to the downtown area with other projects, such as the under-construction Griffin Arms mixed-use building, streetscape improvements and attempts at creating parking on nearby city blocks.
Miller said he left the Norfolk location on his own accord because he could not make enough money there. He opened the location in The NorVa, a concert venue in Norfolk, with the intention of targeting the population of students going to nearby Tidewater Community College.
“They just didn’t really frequent The Jewish Mother as much as I thought that they would,” he said.
Miller said “another swing to the pendulum” was that food carts began setting up shop in front of his restaurant, which directly competed with his own business. The carts are not doing anything illegal, he said, but it put a strain on his budget.
Local businesses in Tribe Square, also in downtown Williamsburg, are complaining that sales are slumping because of the rollout of an expanded mandatory meal plan at the college of William & Mary. Miller said he – like the Tribe Square business – was looking into being included on the meal plan that requires students buy a portion of their meals from on-campus dining halls.
Miller said that, aside from Williamsburg, he is also “seeking prospects” to open future locations in Richmond, Hampton, Charlottesville and Blacksburg. The Williamsburg location is set to open March 1. The Jewish Mother’s Virginia Beach location remains open.
