Bigger & Better
Grindstone Public House Completes Expansion
Writer / Jon Shoulders
Photographer / Amy Payne
After nearly three years as a popular eatery destination for the greater Noblesville area, Grindstone Public House has undergone a significant expansion.
The restaurant has been a big success, and between general demand and also requests for private events, we thought it was time to expand, says Blake Fogelsong, co-owner of Clancys Inc., the company that operates Grindstone Public House and several other area eateries. I think fans of the restaurant are really going to be excited about it.
The project included expansion into the space adjacent to the Public House, inside the historic building on North 10th Street where the restaurant sits. Plans were drawn up for the project in November of 2019, and were put on hold due to the pandemic, according to Fogelsong. In the summer of 2020, the Clancys Inc. team signed a lease for the additional space and resumed bringing their vision to fruition.
We started construction right around the beginning of November of last year, and it was about four or five months of construction, Fogelsong says of the new space, which was vacant after having been occupied by a mens clothing shop. The City of Noblesville has been great to work with, as they have been since the beginning. The residents and everyone here are more supportive than we could have dreamed.
The expansion adds approximately 80 seats to the overall capacity of the eatery, as well as a stage for live music, which is planned for Thursday nights. The original restaurant space seats up to 120 guests.
We plan to have rotating artists for Thursday nights on the new stage, and we will have cover hits and try to support local artists, Fogelsong says. Were also looking at doing trivia maybe on Tuesday nights for this summer. We also redid the existing restrooms and have added a third restroom, and that was another driver for doing this. The restrooms we had needed to be updated.
The Clancys Inc. team also added some private dining space, including a private room for up to eight guests with audio-visual capability.
Were super excited about being able to do private dining, Fogelsong says. Also, on our mezzanine upstairs were able to seat 40 to 50 people for private events as well. Its going to be nice for Noblesville. We get private party requests all the time. It will be nice for fans of the restaurant.
The past three years in operation, since the eatery opened in July of 2018, have yielded several awards, such as Best New Restaurant in The Noblesville Times, and inclusion in Indianapolis Monthlys Top 25 Sandwiches in 2019.
First and foremost, great food and great hospitality I think have been responsible for a lot of the success, Fogelsong says. Also, the nature of the historic building and the design of the restaurant has drawn people in, and thats why Im very excited about the expansion, because it very much continues that design. I think our success is a combination of those things, and also value. Its your neighborhood restaurant, but its toned up design-wise and service-wise a little bit.
The Public House menu changes every six months, and Fogelsong says this reflects an attempt to continually keep things fresh for both familiar and new diners.
Our new menu came out recently, he says. We came out with some great appetizers, and the crab bites and Bavarian-style pretzels with cheese dip have been popular.
Fans of the classic Clancys Topper hamburger can now get it in a smaller format, as the Public House now offers a slider version, the Mini Topper. Patrons can also try pastas, steak, salads, seafood, sandwiches and tacos, as well as appetizers like wings, nachos, shrimp cocktail and more.
We also do a steak night on Wednesdays thats been a huge hit, Fogelsong says. Its a $15 six-ounce filet mignon, and the place is usually packed out the door for that.
Clancys Inc. is responsible for a number of other area establishments including Grindstone Charleys, Michaelangelos Italian Bistro and Grindstone on the Monon. The company was established back in 1965 when Blakes grandfather Carl opened his first burger joint – the first double drive-through in the area. At one time the company had as many as 31 fast-food spots in four states.
Recently the Clancys Inc. team launched a Clancys Hamburgers location in the downtown Indianapolis Bottleworks District, inside The Garage Food Hall. This winter the group plans to launch the Fountain Room, which Fogelsong describes as a supper club-inspired eatery, also at the Bottleworks District.
Grindstone Public House is located at 101 North 10th Street in Noblesville. For more info including a menu, a catering page, private event details and more, call 317-774-5740 or visit grindstonepublichouse.com.
For more on the Clancys Inc. family of restaurant concepts, visit clancysinc.com.
