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“A destination steakhouse” – that was the goal envisioned by the owners of The Beekeeper Inn, which opened recently at 200 W. Water Street at the corner of Water and Church Street in Oak Harbor.
Restaurant owners Mark Kohn and Peggy Dennis, of Graytown, came up with the idea for starting an eatery after lamenting the need to travel to Fremont or Toledo to enjoy an upscale meal.
It was that thinking, combined with the fact that both Kohn and Dennis enjoy cooking and embody the entrepreneurial spirit, that led them to open The Beekeeper Inn on Sept. 30. The name of the restaurant stems from the fact that both Kohn and Dennis are beekeepers themselves.
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Peggy Dennis and Mark Kohn welcome patrons to The
Beekeeper Inn. |
The menu includes a variety of food, ranging from steaks to seafood to pasta to sandwiches and soups. It also boasts assorted salads as well as appetizers, a kid’s menu and features a selection of wines.
The couple stresses that, whenever possible, they buy locally grown products, whether it be fruits and vegetables from a local farmer’s market or meat from a local purveyor, to ensure the utmost of freshness and quality. The food is also prepared from scratch.
The couple wanted to make The Beekeeper Inn a place where people can eat a nice dinner, sit at a table and enjoy a glass of wine with friends and relax, or partake of a libation and some good conversation at the bar.
Kohn and Dennis have also spoken about having on open-mic night, as well having as musical acts for entertainment.
It’s been a long, arduous process getting to this point, Kohn and Dennis said. For the better part of a year, they’ve been working to secure a loan, followed by considerable time and effort spent refurbishing the building.
The restaurant is located inside the building that was previously the home to the historic Oak Harbor Hotel and a franchise of Bad Bob’s Barbecue Restaurant.
“We actually started looking for buildings and this one interested us,” said Kohn. The couple closed on their purchase of the building in March, and set out to renovate and restore it.
“I took out the carpeting, fixed the place up, cleaned the kitchen,” said Kohn. “We addressed a lot of the core issues in the building.”
Kohn and Dennis, both of whom grew up in northwest Ohio, credit the National Bank of Oak Harbor (NBOH), which was very instrumental in helping the couple to open the restaurant.
“They’ve been very, very helpful,” said Dennis. “They always take the time to help and answer the questions (we have).”
The Beekeeper Inn serves lunch and dinner and is open Tuesday through Friday 11am -2pm and 5pm-11pm. Saturday 11am-11pm. For more information, visit www.beekeeperoh.com or call 419-607-6083.
Peggy Dennis and Mark Kohn welcome patrons to The Beekeeper Inn.
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