Gloucester’s Newest Dining Spot An Upscale Option

From the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal:

Porter’s on Main, Gloucester Court House’s newest restaurant, will hold its grand opening on Tuesday. Shown here are, from left: general manager Jeff Brown, owners Gary and Karen Ward, Olivia Ward Milby, Kaleb Milby, Porter Milby and executive chef Joshua Hutter.

Local restaurateurs Gary and Karen Ward recently opened their new establishment in Gloucester Court House, Porter’s On Main.

“We’ve been in the restaurant business for 22 years now, with Olivia’s [Olivia’s in the Village, Gloucester],” said Gary Ward. “We opened Scoot’s [BBQ at Hayes] 10 years ago, so with those two, we have a concept that is kind of fast, casual, in and out, try to get some really good food, a lot of take-out.”

A grand opening event for Porter’s will be held on Tuesday at the restaurant, which opened without fanfare in late May. The evening kicks off at 5:15 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres, refreshments and a cash bar, followed by a ribbon cutting at 6. All are welcome, and RSVPs are encouraged.

Ward explained that the decision to create Porter’s came from a combination of a lack of finer dining in the community and a market of customers looking for a more upscale option for a nice bottle of wine or cocktail.

As business owners, Gary and Karen are always trying to think of what is best for their customer and community. “I felt like that was a void that we could help fill, and with us being in a position that we are, we have a great opportunity to make this work well,” he said.

“Throw in the fact that our new grandson, who we’re in love with, his name is Porter,” he added. Both Olivia’s and Scoot’s were also named after loved ones. “We named Olivia’s after our daughter, Olivia, and we named Scoot’s after Karen’s grandfather—his nickname was Scoot. This now allows us to, hopefully, leave a legacy with Porter’s for our grandson.”

The new restaurant has been a fun project for the couple, allowing them to curate cocktails and create menu items with the executive chef that will excite customers. Ward offered that “creating a space that, when people walk in, they feel like they are walking into an environment you might see in Charleston, or Richmond, or maybe Williamsburg, without having to travel there,” has been a rewarding experience as they brought Porter’s to life.

Watching the excitement of customers has been the most rewarding part, however, he said. “Being able to see people coming in and excited about having a space like that. It definitely means a lot to get the feedback that we’re getting and to be stopped in the store and have somebody say: ‘we went to Porter’s, we loved it, it was great.’”

Ward also explained that it was also important for the couple to be able to help the Main Street Association and the Cook Foundation fill a type of concept they were hoping for. The two organizations are “such a big part of Main Street, which in turn has helped Olivia’s so much, and our family,” he explained. “I felt like it was somewhat our responsibility to step up and [create Porter’s] because that’s something that they were looking for, along with the community. Karen and I are happy to be able to bring a concept like this to Main Street.”

As for the vision for Porter’s, Ward explained that they would love it if it not only served as a place for the community, but also as a spot to help encourage people to visit Main Street. “I think it has the potential to become more of a regional restaurant, where we can start getting people that will be coming in from the Peninsula, Richmond, and Northern Neck and maybe even beyond at some point,” he said.

Ward highlighted the staff at Porter’s and how fortunate the couple was to have tremendous employees, many of whom were retained from the previous restaurant. “We are so happy to keep them. They have created so many relationships in the community and customers are happy to come back and see them again,” he said.

“Our general manager, Jeff Brown, has been nothing short of great,” he added. “He will do whatever it takes to make the customer happy, that’s his number-one goal.” Ward also mentioned Joshua Hutter, Porter’s “tremendously experienced and very talented” executive chef. “He has the ability to take this restaurant to the next level. Matt Martin “is an artist behind the bar,” he added. Martin makes all of his mixes from scratch and Ward has already noticed that customers just connect with him. “I just really think we’re getting a great team together and, of course, that goes a long way,” he explained.

“The fact of the matter is, we’re only [a few] weeks into it and we certainly hope to grow more, evolve more, and listen more to customers,” said Ward. “The one thing that has contributed to our success over the 22 years is the unconditional support from the community. We have some of the greatest customers that I think anybody has ever had.”

Porter’s on Main is currently open for dinner Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 9 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 4-10 p.m. A Sunday brunch is set to launch later this summer.

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