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PLYMOUTH —
It was a Friday night at 11:30 and, apart from staff and a few stalwarts dancing upstairs, the place was nearly empty. But asked about his plan to stay open for breakfast until 3 a.m., Bert’s Landing 0wner John McKeon was more than optimistic.
“It’s a niche,” McKeon said, an opening in the late-night landscape he hopes will draw attention and increased business to this Warren Avenue fixture.
Before he got permission from selectmen to offer late-night breakfast, if you wanted food at that hour on the weekend, you had to head to Quincy or the Cape, he said. “It’s a public service, too. You don’t want people leaving the bars and driving up and down the highways looking for something to eat.”
McKeon didn’t take this on lightly. He did the research, added up the numbers and considered his staff. The new IHOP at Shops at 5 closes at midnight and the 24/7 operation at the Blue Blinds Bakery on North Street has been cut way back.
So Dec. 9, as most of his regular customers began to make their way home, McKeon marshaled the troops for last minute instructions. On duty that night were three members of the Lewis family: Josh in the kitchen, breaking a few eggs; Maddie at the front desk, your wee-hour breakfast hostess; and mother Dawn, supervising family and staff.
Josh DeCola was also in the kitchen and Bartender Erin Brennan was putting in a few extra hours with Bar Manager Sue Santos and waitress Breanna Gustafson, who wondered aloud if she should just stay up all night and go directly to her Saturday morning yoga class.
“About 11:15, people at other bars around town start thinking about where to go next,” McKeon said. Yet midnight passed with no new customers. But across the bar, Karen and Mike White were nursing their drinks and waiting, it turned out, for midnight. “That’s why we came tonight,” Karen admitted.
She and her husband are regulars, big fans of this latest iteration of Bert’s. McKeon took the helm in October 2010 and since then, Karen said, everything has improved.
“Everyone’s so friendly now,” Karen said. “They really make you feel comfortable. So, when we heard about this, we planned our day around it.”
They were doing holiday shopping for much of the evening, and then made their way to Bert’s, arriving just before 11:30. Karen ordered two eggs over easy, an English muffin and a side of sausage. Mike wanted a cheddar and bacon omelet with mushrooms and wheat toast.
When the food was served, right at the bar, most of the late night crew crowded behind the Whites to posed for a picture.
The flash went off. The Whites dug in. More customers began to arrive. A niche began to appear.
It was a Friday night at 11:30 and, apart from staff and a few stalwarts dancing upstairs, the place was nearly empty. But asked about his plan to stay open for breakfast until 3 a.m., Bert’s Landing 0wner John McKeon was more than optimistic.
“It’s a niche,” McKeon said, an opening in the late-night landscape he hopes will draw attention and increased business to this Warren Avenue fixture.
Before he got permission from selectmen to offer late-night breakfast, if you wanted food at that hour on the weekend, you had to head to Quincy or the Cape, he said. “It’s a public service, too. You don’t want people leaving the bars and driving up and down the highways looking for something to eat.”
McKeon didn’t take this on lightly. He did the research, added up the numbers and considered his staff. The new IHOP at Shops at 5 closes at midnight and the 24/7 operation at the Blue Blinds Bakery on North Street has been cut way back.
So Dec. 9, as most of his regular customers began to make their way home, McKeon marshaled the troops for last minute instructions. On duty that night were three members of the Lewis family: Josh in the kitchen, breaking a few eggs; Maddie at the front desk, your wee-hour breakfast hostess; and mother Dawn, supervising family and staff.
Josh DeCola was also in the kitchen and Bartender Erin Brennan was putting in a few extra hours with Bar Manager Sue Santos and waitress Breanna Gustafson, who wondered aloud if she should just stay up all night and go directly to her Saturday morning yoga class.
“About 11:15, people at other bars around town start thinking about where to go next,” McKeon said. Yet midnight passed with no new customers. But across the bar, Karen and Mike White were nursing their drinks and waiting, it turned out, for midnight. “That’s why we came tonight,” Karen admitted.
She and her husband are regulars, big fans of this latest iteration of Bert’s. McKeon took the helm in October 2010 and since then, Karen said, everything has improved.
“Everyone’s so friendly now,” Karen said. “They really make you feel comfortable. So, when we heard about this, we planned our day around it.”
They were doing holiday shopping for much of the evening, and then made their way to Bert’s, arriving just before 11:30. Karen ordered two eggs over easy, an English muffin and a side of sausage. Mike wanted a cheddar and bacon omelet with mushrooms and wheat toast.
When the food was served, right at the bar, most of the late night crew crowded behind the Whites to posed for a picture.
The flash went off. The Whites dug in. More customers began to arrive. A niche began to appear.
