Warehouse celebrating 10th anniversary
John Larson’s The Warehouse Restaurant is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The restaurant is located in Roscoe Village at 400 N. Whitewoman St. Josie Sellers | Beacon
COSHOCTON – According to John Larson, owner of The Warehouse Restaurant in Roscoe Village, 50 percent of independent restaurants that open close within a year.
“There are a variety of things that make a difference such as location, atmosphere and food, and we’ve had the opportunity to be here for 10 successful years now,” he said. “A lot of that has to do with the support of the greater Coshocton community.”
Larson purchased the Warehouse after spending 26 years in the education field in the Tri-Valley school system and another six years in Licking County.
“A friend who owned a restaurant in Zanesville was my business partner the first year,” Larson said. “We looked at places in Marietta, Licking County and Muskingum County and then came here. I fell in love with Roscoe and this building.”
Since then he has more than doubled the outside dining area, fixed up the shelter and added decking.
“It’s a fun place to go to listen to local music and we’ve also had wedding receptions out there,” Larson said.
Live music also is periodically featured in the lower level of The Warehouse Restaurant and they have comedy club nights upstairs.
“We started the comedy clubs six years ago,” Larson said. “We have two comedians who are headliners that travel the coasts and do HBO. It’s adult comedy though. People start coming around 6:30 p.m. and eat and drink upstairs and the show starts about 8:15 p.m. and goes until around 10 p.m.”
The next comedy club is Saturday, Jan. 12 and tickets are only $10 as part of the Warehouse’s anniversary celebration. Friday, Jan. 11 live music will be provided by Minus One from 8 to 11 p.m. downstairs. Through Jan. 12, guests also can register to win daily $10 gift cards, enjoy the Big John Burger or appetizer plate for $10, or additional daily drink and food specials for $10.
“We wanted to thank the community for its support and for allowing us to be here for 10 years,” Larson said.
One of the menu items The Warehouse is known for is its Legendary Steak & Stein Onion Rings.
“My dad and uncle opened the Steak & Stein in Zanesville in 1952 and started creating those then,” Larson said. “A lot of people from Coshocton and Zanesville visited the restaurant just for those.”
In 2018 The Warehouse Restaurant also was voted the number one burger place, steak place and American restaurant in Coshocton.
“We feel we have a good variety of burgers and steaks to pick from,” Larson said. “We also sell a lot of appetizers and entrees.”
Right now The Warehouse employs 35 people, but in the summer that number will climb to right around 50. Larson also operates the Warehouse Restaurant Dresden, which currently has 20 employees and will be up to 25 to 30 in the summer time.
The Dresden location will celebrate two years in April.
“It has about 90 percent the same menu,” Larson said. “About 10 percent is different due to clientele and demographics.”
A food trailer came with the purchase of this restaurant and it was used last summer at Indian Bear Winery and at wedding receptions.
“I believe in what we do and felt if we had the same good food and service we could make it there (in Dresden),” Larson said.
His future plans include continuing to offer a high quality level of food and service at both restaurants, expand the use of the food trailer to other areas, and expand The Warehouse’s catering business.
“We are happy to still be going strong after 10 years,” Larson said. “Without the community and our staff that would have been impossible to do.”
Category: Business
