Rebecca Cooper
Washington Business Journal
Restaurateur Reese Gardner is at it again, this time with a lease to open a second location of his Shirlington restaurant Copperwood Tavern in Loudoun County. Gardner has signed a lease for a 6,500-square-foot restaurant space in One Loudoun, the mixed-use development in Ashburn that’s already home to a Fresh Market, indie movie venue Alamo Drafthouse and handful of other restaurants.
Copperwood Tavern in Loudoun is aiming to open about a year from now, in September 2015. The restaurant’s design and menu will be similar to the Shirlington location, highlighting Virginia heritage and products.
“It’s a little closer to some of the farmers we already have relationships with,” Gardner said this week. “I think the people in Loudoun will really appreciate our scratch kitchen and farm-to-table menu.”
The One Loudoun spot will make for a busy year for Gardner, who has two new restaurants under construction and also owns Irish Whiskey Public House and the Mighty Pint in Dupont.
Gardner’s spot on the Georgetown waterfront, Orange Anchor, is aiming to open in October, and Union Social will open at 100 Florida Ave. NE in NoMa later this year or early in 2015.
Mighty Pint: New builds aren’t all the nightclub-promoter-turned-restaurateur has up his sleeve, however. Gardner also dished on plans to retool Dupont Circle bar The Mighty Pint into something a little more grown up.
He plans to turn Mighty Pint into a restaurant called Second State, an homage to his home state of Pennsylvania. The menu and vibe will be similar to Copperwood Tavern, but pull from more Pennsylvania traditions than Virginia.