By Brooke Geery
A summer staple in the Rutland area, the Village Snack Bar is officially open for the season. Brian and Mark Fothergill purchased the restaurant earlier this year, and have been making some changes and improvements, including ordering 24 brand new, custom-built picnic tables for additional seating.
Due to Covid-19, the tables have been sitting idly behind the building, patiently waiting to be used when dining restrictions are lifted. On Friday, May 15, snack bar general manager Bernie Miles noticed four of them were missing.
He posted about the theft on Facebook, and garnered a lot of chatter. One person reported seeing four red picnic tables for sale in Fair Haven, but the tip did not pan out. As of Monday, the tables had not been recovered. The remaining tables are now chained.
But, it’s not all bad news. In fact, business has been remarkably good.
“We have been extremely busy, it’s hard to believe,” Miles said. “ The challenge is wrapping things up. It’s different than just slapping it on a tray and sending it out.”
In addition to its new seating (though slightly less than they wanted), the Village Snack Bar is now offering fresh Carolina seafood, including the most popular new dish, Bam Bam Shrimp. They also added maple creemees to the menu. Rutland local Evan O’Rourke is heading things up in the kitchen.
The Village Snack bar is located at 389 West St. in Rutland.