New restaurant set to open in former bakery building

Plans call for the buildings at 118-122 E. Main to be converted to a taqueria and microbrewery early in 2023.

by Marsha Chartrand

Jason Cooper first became acquainted with Manchester about four or five years ago, when he purchased a rental property in the village. As he came and went, he began to enjoy the uniqueness and the small town feel of the community.

Of course, he also noticed the many vacancies in the downtown area. He says, "I talked to people in the area and learned what their thoughts are, and I decided to take a chance on it. We like the downtown; there's a lot of potential here and we want to see the area thrive and have a vibrant downtown district."

So, he purchased the old Manchester Bakery buildings at 118-122 E Main Street and is making progress on plans to create a new taqueria and microbrewery on the site. The Village Council approved the site plans at its August 1 meeting and the application is now in the hands of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

Cooper believes that the business is still on track to open late in the first quarter of 2023, adding that it's "still in the design and licensing phase.

"Our current tenant will be ending her lease at the end of the year, so we plan to start construction in January and we're hopeful for a March opening pending the licensing proceeding on time; and from what we understand, it will," he says. "We're figuring a late winter/early spring opening will be good — by the time the weather turns, we'll have worked through any kinks and challenges, and be ready to take on everyone who wants to come in."

While Cooper says they don't intend to reinvent the wheel on the food side — "we're just going to be creating authentic tacos" — there will be some unique aspects to the business as well. "We'll probably always have 4-6 different tacos on the menu, some predictable like beef and chicken, and some more surprising. Then we'll also rotate another two to four seasonal recipes depending on what's locally available."

Cooper's partner, who's also his best friend from childhood, is an accomplished chef, currently working in Grand Rapids, and who will be taking care of the food side of the business. "Other than working at restaurants in college, my own experience is limited," he said. "So his expertise will be invaluable. Not only has he worked in five-star restaurants and opened more than 10 restaurants himself, but I'll get to hang out with my best friend, too, and that will be very enjoyable."

He also plans to collaborate with both Eastern Michigan University and Schoolcraft College, which have fermentation programs, and work with students on different recipes for the beers they will have on tap. He and his partner want to have a huge community involvement component in their business, including offering the spent grains from their beer-making processes to local farmers.

"Hopefully, they'll come in and have a beer and a taco at the same time," he says.

"Our goal right now is to have at least one community involvement program per month," he adds. "It might be a fund-raiser for a student organization, or hosting events for an organization, and we want to highlight agreements with local farmers in the area and promote their product. It'll be a good story to tell."

All told, Cooper figures that initially the restaurant will probably bring at least 10 new jobs to the community, including a general manager, a handful of cooks, a couple people on the brewing side and servers too. "They won't all be full time but it will be at least 10 people," he says.

While planning renovations to the building, he has been working with the Manchester Area Historical Society to learn about its origins and history within the community and he's looking forward to coming up with an appropriate name for his business. He might be looking for some community involvement there, too ... watch for details in a future issue of the Mirror!

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.