Meriden
Three years ago, he submitted his first plan to the Plainfield Zoning Board.
Last month, Lappin’s vision came to fruition: Poor Thom’s Tavern opened on May 21 in a newly constructed $329,000 building near the intersection of Route 120 and Bean Road, a stone’s throw from Kimball Union Academy and across the street from the Meriden Public Library.
Lappin sees his new 2,700-square-foot establishment that seats 72, including 26 at the bar, as a reincarnation of the convivial village pub that once could be found at nearly every crossroads in northern New England, but long ago was supplanted by convenience stores and gas stations.
“I live in the village and knew the town really could use a little place for people to get together,” Lappin said.
“The town needs a restaurant,” he added with a laugh, “I know about 50 percent of the people who live here.”
Initially, Lappin had hoped his tavern would have been ready to open in 2014. He bought an 1805 farmhouse with the idea of renovating apartments on the second floor, with the tavern on the first floor. But the cost of getting the water, sewer and sprinkler system up to code was so high, he said, that it made more sense financially to wait until he could acquire the adjacent parcel and build a tavern that could accommodate a bigger seating area by building from the ground up.
“I needed to rethink it, and that set me behind two years,” he said.
There were some initial concerns about what the tavern would mean for “traffic control” near the corner, but those have so far proven not to be an issue, said Steve Halleran, town administrator of Plainfield.
Lappin “worked on several proposals and did a nice job of putting together a conforming lot and some investors,” Halleran said.
The tavern’s sign promises “Fine Food & Spirits” to hungry and thirsty patrons with a pub menu that features such house specialties as bourbon barbecue pulled pork sliders and grilled corned beef Reuben, with assorted craft brews on tap such as Switchback Ale and Two Roads Double IPA.
Lappin, a familiar Meriden face — he volunteers with the village’s fire department and has been a member of the town of Plainfield’s finance committee — has a degree in restaurant management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and knocked around working in restaurants and clubs in Europe before settling in the village more than 20 years ago and going into the contracting business.
His wife, Amy, is the deputy director of the Kilton Public Library in West Lebanon. A daughter is headed to art school and a son is entering Lebanon High School — and both are working in the restaurant this summer — making it easier to invest the required time in owning and operating the new venture.
“When I was a young kid, I always dreamed of opening a restaurant,” Lappin said. “The community has been so supportive since the day I decided to do this, putting up with my craziness.”
Since welcoming the first customers four weeks ago, Poor Thom’s Tavern has been in a “soft opening” phase, with a Tuesday through Sunday evening schedule to “get the kinks out” before the “official opening” on July 1, when the tavern will be open seven days a week.
Halleran said it’s been years since Meriden and Plainfield could boast their own restaurants. He recalls the former Irene’s, owned by Irene Gillen and located in the basement of the William A. Smith Inc. auction gallery on Route 12A in Plainfield, “which I went to when I was a kid.” The restaurant was later named Maxfield’s at the Gallery and run by auctioneer Bill Smith’s daughters.
But now, with owners Robert and Priscilla Wheeler opening Olde Village Haunt on Route 12A in Plainfield last November, the dinning choices in the town and village have doubled.
“For many years we had none, but the two (restaurants) have been incredibly well received by a bunch of folks,” Halleran said.
Lappin said he hopes to draw people from Lebanon, Claremont and Cornish and has been averaging between 80 to 110 customers a night.
“It makes me feel young to be on the line again,” Lappin said of cooking in the kitchen.
Two others work in the kitchen beside himself, and Lappin has hired a 10-person part-time wait and bartending staff. He expects to be serving spirits by the time of the official opening.
One customer base that Poor Thom’s Tavern will be able to rely on are ravenous students from KUA. Although the tavern is technically off school grounds, KUA administrators are allowing the students to walk down the hill and go there during their free periods. The school has a similar arrangement with the Meriden Deli-Mart across from the KUA sports fields on Route 120.
“Both students and faculty members are really happy to have a place to go and eat,” said Sarah Moore, a KUA representative. She praised the tavern’s “community feel” and said, “we’re optimistic it will work out for everyone.”
Lappin is, too.
“I don’t have the foot traffic I would have in West Lebanon,” he noted, “but with KUA across the road, that’s going to be a big contributor.”
John Lippman can be reached at 603-727-3219 or jlippman@vnews.com.
