COLFAX — Poppy’s restaurant in downtown Colfax is growing its operations by adding a new dining room with a bar and expanding the menu to include barbecue on the weekends.
Poppy’s owners Scott and Johanna Beason purchased the restaurant in 2017, and said it was finally time to expand. They recently bought the neighboring building which once housed the Colfax branch of Jackson Hewitt Tax Services. Johanna Beason said they wanted more seating for larger groups and a place which has an Applebee’s kind of feel, not like a typical bar.
“We want it to be where people can come and get something to eat and get a drink with their meal,” Johanna said.
“We lose a lot of business by not selling alcohol,” Scott added. “They literally walk in the door and ask (if we serve), we say no and then they leave.”
The addition will include newer, bigger tables, a bar which will be refinished and an open area for musical acts to perform. Before it was a tax office, Poppy’s new building was once an established pub and the former owners stored the bar in the attic. Scott and Johanna decided to re-purpose the piece that already had some vintage flair.
“We found the old bar that used to be there years ago,” Scott said. “There are etchings where people scratched their names in. We are going to leave those in there.”
They will not be a happy hour special due to insurance purposes, but Johanna said there will be drink specials.
The Beasons said a door will be placed in the back right corner of the restaurant to allow customers and staff to go between the two sides.
Poppy’s hours will be revised after the opening of the new addition. They will now be from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and Fridays and Saturdays the pub addition will be open until midnight. The food selection will be slightly adapted as well, allowing for barbecue on Fridays and Saturdays with the kitchen open during bar rooms expanded hours so patrons can eat and drink.
Scott said the projected opening for the new space will be June 8.
The decor for the new addition will be close to what is in the main restaurant, with a rustic feel while still keeping the fire department theme, and in the background, speakers will keep patrons entertained with a little music.
Contact Samuel Niobium at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or at snusbaum@newtondailynews.com
