Two new food/drink-centric businesses are on their way to downtown Riverside, filling vacancies created by the closure of two similar businesses in recent years.
The Sandtrap Grill & Tap, a golf-themed eatery, is slated to open its doors at 31 Forest Ave. It most recently was home to Mollie’s Public House, which closed its doors in March after an 11-year run.
Manthan Desai, whose business partner in the venture is Riverside resident Chris Connelly, told the Landmark last week that the Sandtrap will serve up “American bar food with a fresh homemade twist.” A quirky feature of the space will be a putting green where patrons can while the time away.
The owners have been friends since high school, said Desai. Connelly moved to Riverside about a year and a half ago and the two decided to jump at a chance to operate their own restaurant/bar after seeing Mollie’s vacate the space in March.
“We decided it might be a great opportunity in Riverside, which is such a tight-knit community,” Desai said.
The Riverside Village Board approved a liquor license for the Sand Bar in July, but it may be a month or two until the Sandtrap opens its doors to the public. According to Desai, their architect was putting the finishing touches on the interior plans, which need to be submitted to get building permits to begin what Desai described a minor changes to the eatery’s layout.
Desai said the concept of the Sandtrap is to be “more of a family style place. We want everybody to be able to stop by.”
Meanwhile, a business named Sips & Sweets Café looks to be headed to the Arcade Building at 1 Riverside Road, occupying the space that most recently housed the gluten-free bakery Flur.
Two women, Krista Brazel and Carla Biggs, have applied for a business license for Sips & Sweets Café, which the application describes as a coffee shop and bakery. The owners say in the application that they will eventually also serve salads, smoothies and ice cream and participate in village events such as the Holiday Stroll.
The business has been operating as an online venture, selling custom cakes, cupcakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts and more. They also sell items at community events, such as the recent Westchester Fest.
Earlier Facebook posts had indicated that the owners wanted to open Sips & Sweets Cafe’s doors at the Arcade Building in September, but that the open date has been pushed back.
Attempts to reach Brazel were not successful.
