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Courtesy Crumb & Spigot
Some of the food offerings at Crumb & Spigot
Karen Gorman and Ryan King opened
Crumb & Spigot (16783 Chillicothe Rd., 440-384-3035) in 2014 and the restaurant was an instant hit with diners and critics alike. The owners set out to create a friendly neighborhood tavern where residents could visit weekly or more to enjoy a great meal and they succeeded.
"We're not trying to reinvent the wheel," Gorman told Scene at the time. "We just want to do some really good, from-scratch food that people can recognize.”
In late October, Gorman and King sold the business to Jamy Bolling, an industry veteran with decades of experience working for restaurant groups such as Bravo Brio, Piada and Chef Art Pour.
Bolling, who both lives in the area and is a huge fan of the restaurant, says that he was approached by the owners with the opportunity. He asserts that the past few years have been challenging for all restaurants and Crumb & Spigot is no exception. Since Covid, the restaurant has been inconsistent with respect to days and hours of operation, and was in fact closed for all of last winter. Going forward, it’s Bolling’s intent to achieve and maintain consistency at the Bainbridge tavern.
“I love this place,” Bolling says. “We have zero interest in changing anything. We are totally invested in what this is today and what Karen built. I’m just really excited to be a part of it. Our primary focus today is to make sure that the food that is put out of that kitchen and the service we provide for our guests – nothing we do changes that.”
In fact, chef Christian Parker and pretty much the entire staff are staying put, Bolling states.
What might change, he adds, is the number of Crumb & Spigots that exist in Northeast Ohio. Bolling argues that the restaurant makes “the best pizza in town, without question,” and there’s an opportunity to expand the brand.
“I think Crumb is a great brand in east Cleveland and I think absolutely there in an opportunity to have another Crumb,” Bolling says. “I don’t want to have 10 Crumb & Spigots in Cleveland. I think we can have two or three – four would probably be stretching it.”
Karen Gorman declined to comment for this story.
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