New restaurant in Bridgman finally opens after months of work

 

BRIDGMAN, Mi. -- Friends and business partners Susan Dover and Jeremy Kimball are thankful to finally be able to open their own restaurant-- Molly's Beach Walk Café, a special place with a special name.

“Molly is my granddaughter—my first granddaughter," Kimball said about the name. "I love her so much.”

The pair both hit upon the idea while working together at a local bar-- after realizing that if they partnered together-- they could reach the same goal of restaurant ownership. 

For Dover, the dream started to take shape once they found the right location, one that bought back several memories. 

“Growing up in Bridgman, this was a really good spot for kids," she said. "I remember coming down to this location to get ice cream and stuff like that, take it down to the beach. When it came up for rent we thought it was a really good spot.”

Both believe the café will fill a void that was missing in downtown Bridgman.

“We were getting a lot of customers asking us about breakfast, so we were like ‘you know, we can do that,' Dover said. 

The pair have been working to open the restaurant since October, and after nearly five months of renovations, they had their grand opening on May 12. Despite a somewhat slow start and some growing pains, like a malfunctioning freezer, they both foresee a bright future as the Summer months start.

For now, they're just glad to see their dream realized. 

“For the state to tell us we could open, it was like ‘thank God we can open!'" said Kimball. "Even if we don’t sell any food, we’re open! We’re legally open.”

“He was like, ‘we’re gonna be doing coffees if we can’t. We’re gonna be open,'" Dover said. 

Despite just opening, they're both planning on expanding during the Summer, by adding a special coffee maker for specialized drinks-- made by Kimball's daughter. 

The pair's other teenaged children will also help by making food deliveries.