Seeking to spend more time with their growing family, Tim and Emily Lewis are stepping back from managing The Railyard — the outdoor food venue they have operated since February 2025.
Brad Martin, who runs Oakview BBQ in one of the four food-vendor shipping containers at the Railyard, will be taking the reins at the venue.
“We just love the atmosphere of the Railyard,” Martin said. “It’s great because there is no other place in central Illinois like it.”
Martin will officially take over the lease for the Railyard property at 2242 S. Sixth St. and the management of the venue as of Oct. 1.
The Lewises, who recently welcomed their fifth child, will be moving to Florida, where they have family and where Tim Lewis has accepted a new job.
“We enjoy being small business owners, but we feel like we’re in a different season of life now where we really want to focus on our family,” Emily Lewis said. “I want to be at home raising our children, and my husband wants to be able to clock out and come home.”
When the Lewises mentioned their plans to Martin and his wife, Adria, they expressed interest in stepping into the management role. Emily Lewis said the Martins are the perfect fit to continue to build on The Railyard’s success.
“Brad and Adria care about good food,” Lewis said. “They care about the community. They have that same passion to succeed.”
Currently, three micro restaurants operate out of shipping containers located around The Railyard’s outdoor seating area — El Dorado Taqueria, Let’s Get Rolling Egg Rolls, and Martin’s Oakview BBQ. One additional shipping container is vacant. In addition, the Lewises operate a bar, The Drinking Well, out of a brick and mortar building on the property.
Martin, who opened Oakview BBQ at The Railyard last November, already is moving forward with improvement plans. He has added a new permanent roof on the stage for musicians performing at the venue and plans to add standing tables to the picnic tables currently in the seating area.
At the end of the current season, which will run through Dec. 19, he plans to relocate Oakview BBQ from its current shipping container to the brick building that houses the Drinking Well. The move will allow the barbecue restaurant to remain open year-round.
Martin also is working to identify two new vendors to fill the spaces that will be vacant after Oakview’s move.
“We’ll keep building on the foundation that is already here at The Railyard,” Martin said. “We plan to bring in more small business vendors, so they can have just as much success as we’ve had here.”
The Lewises took over The Railyard operations from former manager Kirk Jefferis, who still owns the real estate. Prior to The Railyard, the couple operated the Three Twigs Bakery, which closed at the end of 2024. Emily Lewis said they have loved being small business owners, and she doesn’t rule out returning to that role again in the future when their children, who now range in age from two weeks to 7 years, get older.
“This is a season,” she said. “It doesn’t mean it’s forever.”