Dining down at the Boardwalk

Source: The Grand Rapids Press
Monroe Avenue's revival continues with the opening of the neighborhood's newest restaurant, The Waterworks Pub.

Located in the Boardwalk Building at 940 Monroe Ave. NW, the restaurant is part of the renovation of the old Berkey and Gay furniture factory.

The old brick factory, which faces the Grand River, will contain 250 apartments, offices and a parking garage when it's completed. The pub features breakfast, lunch and dinner in an open dining area, which seats about 100 customers at tables in soft cushioned chairs and couches.

Patrons also can sit in a bar area or on high stools at tables covered in brushed stainless steel tops, which reflect the industrial warehouse look of the interior.

An outdoor dining area occupies the courtyard of the six-story building, which still is under construction.

"The courtyard will have an 18-foot fountain, reflecting pool and sculpture gardens," said Carolee Heynen, general manager of the Boardwalk and Waterworks. "It should be done in June, and it will be wonderful."

Developer Tom Beckering is the majority owner of the restaurant and the building, which should be finished by September.

Heynen said the restaurant is appealing to young and old alike, with downtown workers and apartment dwellers coming through the doors. The building already has 100 apartments occupied, which gives them some built-in customers, she added.

The building also holds the Bellezza beauty salon, a laundry and dry cleaning area and, in the basement, the Merc Medical Education Research Center for health professionals. In keeping with the building's Boardwalk name, other areas of the complex will have names from the popular Monopoly board game, Heynen said.

"We're pretty eccentric here and a little offbeat, and we work hard at it," she added. "Everything is a little over the top because we want everyone to have a lot of fun." That includes allowing waitresses to wear anything they want as long as it's black, Heynen said.

"It runs the gamut from sexy to prim, and silver sparkles are OK," she added. "Sometimes there's a prom queen (look) thrown in from time to time. We want this to be a warm and friendly place for our employees and customers."

Heynen and several other staff members are former employees of the former FoodQuest group of restaurants in Grand Rapids.

She said several favorite recipes moved with them to The Waterworks, including custom nachos from the Grand River Saloon, the feta dip from the Rhythm Kitchen and the prime rib and signature soups from Gutheries restaurant. Roger Ditmar is head chef, bringing with him 14 years as chef for FoodQuest. At Waterworks, Ditmar and his staff work in an open kitchen in full view of patrons.

The pub has 30 employees. Operating hours are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 6 a.m. to midnight on Friday; 10 a.m. to midnight on Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Source: The Grand Rapids Press