Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Gloria Austin
BACK IN BUSINESS — The Horn Restaurant, formerly known as the Horn of Plenty restaurant, is re-opening in the Shiretown in the same location as it previously operated from. The popular eatery, featuring chef William Roderick, will open its doors to the public on Thursday. Lunch service will be added starting Wednedsay, Aug. 28.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
HOULTON — “The Horn” Restaurant, Catering and Events, located at 382 North St., which was formerly The Horn of Plenty location, will kick off its dinner schedule tomorrow, August 22.
This will be followed by the start of the lunch service on Wednesday, Aug. 28.
The new restaurant’s name was derived from the common local practice of calling the Horn of Plenty, the Horn.
“We wanted to ‘piggyback’ on the good reputation of The Horn of Plenty,” said Barry Ivey, business manager/owner. “But, we also wanted to differentiate ourselves.”
The restaurant’s name also implies the musical motif that will be presented within the dining room.
“Because of Houlton’s rich musical culture, we wanted to use a musical horn in our logo, too,” added Ivey.
While communicating with local musicians, many of them offered to loan unique musical items to the restaurant. These items will be displayed around the dining area and will be changed often so the décor doesn’t get stale. There will also be instruments and framed sheet music in the dining room, as well.
“I’ve had really good feedback from the musical community with ideas of what we can do,” said Ivey.
With its musical theme, The Horn will also offer local musicians a chance to showcase their talent and on some nights, the entertainment may not be advertised.
“It may just be done spontaneously,” said Ivey. “So, if someone comes out that night and they have a unique dining experience, they may choose The Horn again, so they don’t miss out on something special.”
In the kitchen will be Executive Chef William Roderick and taking orders will be his wife, Nancy Levin, restaurant manager. The couple have most of their previous staff back and they are ready for the “reopening.”
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Gloria Austin
OPENING THIS WEEK — The Horn Restaurant, located on the North Road in Houlton, is opening Thursday. The restaurant was formerly known as the Horn of Plenty.
“We have a full-plus crew,” Nancy said. “It’s a great thing to be back. This is what we do for a living and it is what we love.”
“It’s fantastic,” Roderick added. “I didn’t think I would miss the intensity of cooking, but I did.”
Already by word of mouth and advertising, The Horn’s opening nights are booking up.
“We have a lot of reservations and many more on “standby,” Levin added.
The Horn will serve its recognizable dishes like seafood tetrazzini, Sicily chicken, linguini with white clam sauce and the ever-popular Texas coffee-rubbed steak. But, with the familiar, comes the new.
“You can make something a 101 ways,” said Roderick. “We will start with traditional favorites on the menu and then we are going to do new specials. I’ve been looking at new cookbooks and I see a lot of new stuff we can try.”
“It’s a new flavor. Something new for everybody,” Levin added.
Like many families when the Horn of Plenty closed, the Iveys were disappointed to see them go.
“Over time, I kept running into Nancy at her other employment and I jokingly would say, ‘You need to reopen the restaurant.’ One day, off the cuff, she replied, ‘If someone wanted to open it, we would love to run it.’”
With that thought, Ivey began to look for investors, researched the numbers and soon realized it wasn’t a huge undertaking to get the restaurant going again.
“The more we talked about it, the more my wife, Melissa and I thought it was something we ought to do,” Ivey added. “So, we decided to give it a try, along with a close friend/investor.”
With help from Roderick and Levin on the day-to-day restaurant management side, the owners have secured an accountant and payroll service to assist with the business management.
“I don’t intend to quit my day job,” laughed Ivey, who works at Katahdin Forest Products in Oakfield. “It is always an exciting time when anyone opens a new business. Everyone has lots of ideas. Additionally, this facility lends itself to a variety of functions. We can make good use of the experienced people we have and hopefully, over time, add more jobs. It will be an efficient operation.”
As time goes on, Ivey and his team have plans for the catering and an events center. The events center is a room approximately 2,800 square feet attached to the restaurant.
“We want to get the dining room open immediately and service that need,” explained Ivey. “Then we will start doing some catering. We want to take time to get everyone settled into their roles and understand what we need for additional staff to do the various parts of it.
“The events center is the third piece of the puzzle,” Ivey added. “We have plenty of space and we will be able to do functions here, as well as off-site.”
The Horn will also provide businesses with a private room that will accommodate 12 to 16 people.
“If there is a business that needs a little bit of privacy, but they still want to go out and have a nice meal, we can offer them that possibility,” said Ivey. “The main goal, at least from my standpoint, was to benefit the business community. As a businessman, I know how difficult it can be sometimes to find a place where you can entertain guests or to find a place that can give you the privacy you might require.”
The Horn, according to Ivey, will offer a “fine dining experience”, while the pricing will be competitive with other dining options in the town.
If a couple wants to dress up for a night out, they will feel comfortable. If people want to be a little more casual, they too will be at ease.
“We want to be what the community wants us to be,” Ivey added. “We also need the business community to tell us what they need from us, as well.”
“We are excited to serve our regulars again, but we look forward to new people coming in, too” Levin said.
Ivey is excited about the North Road expansion project, as well.
“I personally see that as being a big boost,” he said. “There are going to be new enterprises coming up to the North Road and we are going to be in the center of it and we are prepared for it. It’s a good thing for Houlton.”
The Horn is ready to take reservations for the holidays, weddings and catering jobs. Gift certificates are available.
“It is reservation recommended,” said Levin. “If you reserve a time, you will have a table. If you drop in, you may have to wait for a table.”
To make reservations or to inquire about catering, call The Horn at 532-2260. As their motto says, “Something familiar, something new.”