As part of the revival of the Toana, Va. club, which closed in 2017 and was purchased by new ownership at the end of 2018, a local restaurateur will open the 501 Bar and Grille at Stonehouse through a lease arrangement in June. The new restaurant will hold up to 400 and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, with a “signature dining area” open in the evenings.
When the Stonehouse Golf Club in Toana, Va. closed in 2017, weeds began to grow up along the once-smooth golf course and the green slowly changed to brown, the Williamstown Yorktown Daily of Williamsburg, Va. reported.
And with the decline of the club, the restaurant adjacent to the golf course also shuttered, the Daily reported.
But now a local business owner is bringing life back to the restaurant, which will now be called the 501 Bar and Grill at Stonehouse, the Daily reported, and will be open to the public as well as golfers and club members.
Mo Boulftali, the owner of Jimmy’s Oven and Grill in Norge, Va. signed the lease for the former Stonehouse Grille in March, the Daily reported, and the new restaurant plans to open officially on June 17, according to Glenn Wurdemann, its operations manager. Renovations are underway, adding new flooring, new equipment and a new bar, Wurdemann said.
The restaurant will hold up to 400 people and be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Wurdemann said. It will serve typical American fare with some specialty dishes, on a menu that is currently being designed and reviewed.
The 501 Bar and Grille will also have a “signature dining room” open in the evenings, with linen napkins and a special signature menu, the Daily reported. Those in the signature dining room will still be able to order off the regular menu, while those in the regular dining room can order off the signature menu, Wurdemann said.
Customers can also choose from any menu for takeout fare, the Daily reported, and as a perk for golfers, a delivery golf cart will bring food and beverages to those out on the green.
Chef Brian Fothe, a Williamsburg native, will lead the kitchen, Wurdemann said. The restaurant is currently hiring for most positions, the Daily reported, including bartenders, food cart drivers, kitchen support staff, dishwashers, wait staff, hosting staff and more.
In addition to filling the once-vacant space at the club, Wurdemann believes the 501 Bar and Grill at Stonehouse will also fill a void in the local restaurant scene, the Daily reported. “There’s a need for a good restaurant at this end of town,” he said.
Above all, Wurdemann said, the atmosphere is what will set the 501 Bar and Grill at Stonehouse apart. “You won’t be rushed in and rushed out,” he said. “If you want to sit here and chat, you can sit here and chat. This is why we feel like we have something that’s so needed in this area.”
The restaurant’s development comes as the club’s new owner, Joe Sanders, works to revitalize Stonehouse’s dilapidated golf course, the Daily reported. James City County property information shows that the club was bought in December 2018 for $800,000 (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/stonehouse-gc-sold-for-800000/).
The golf course is set to open back up this July, according to a post by the Stonehouse Golf Club on Facebook, the Daily reported.
“It’s beginning to look like a golf course again,” Wurdemann said.
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