Tim and Emily Lewis, owners of Three Twigs Co., announced Feb. 15 they had signed a lease for The Railyard, an outdoor food venue based around shipping containers. It closed for the season in September and the Lewises permanently closed Three Twigs Co., 2661 Chatham Road, as of Dec. 24. The couple later reached an agreement with Kirk Jefferis to take over operations of The Railyard with the intention of utilizing a portion of the space for their own business but finding other food vendors to lease some of the containers.
Emily Lewis told SBJ that Froggies Groovy Goodies, El Dorado Taqueria and The Stadium Smokehouse Bar and Grill have all committed to operating one of the containers on site.
Froggies Groovy Goodies, based out of Lincoln, started as a shaved ice truck but Lewis said the business will use this opportunity to expand its offerings. It will occupy the container that previously served as the cantina.
"They're going to have snow cones, but also pretzels, popcorn, cotton candy - it will be a very fair food kind of vibe," she said.
Lewis said El Dorado Taqueria will occupy the Mexican container and The Stadium will take over the former barbecue container.
"Tom Hart will be using the smoker; he's all about doing smoked meats. He's very excited about having wings there. A lot of people really like the wings," Lewis said.
As for the fourth container, which previously offered ramen, Lewis said her husband will operate that space.
"It won't be Three Twigs' menu, but it will be some returning favorites," she said. "Everyone has been asking about our fried potatoes. We might do our fried chicken sandwiches, too. We're still going back and forth about the exact menu."
The Lewises will also take over the brick-and-mortar space that housed the café. Lewis said it will be called The Pie Bar and will offer a large assortment of pies, plus crafted cocktails and local beers.
To avoid confusion, everything will have the same operating hours, including the indoor space. Lewis said the venue will continue to host live music and they are in the process of booking acoustic acts as well as a full band that will play for the grand opening.
A soft opening is planned for 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, and 4-10 p.m. on Friday, May 2. The grand opening will be held from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.
