03/29/2026
Hello Everyone! We've had some great questions piling up regarding our Restaurant Q&A series and I apologize for not having responded sooner. I'll try and get to everyone's questions in as timely a manner as possible. This week I would like to address a question that has cropped up frequently over the years......
"Have you ever considered opening up multiple locations?"
So, we have had many inquiries over the years regarding this, including people who would like to franchise, but to be honest, it takes everything we have to hold just the one restaurant (and Notte) together. That coupled with the fact that we have seen so many successful restaurants try to open a second location and struggle, often leading to the closure of both stores....and the thought of expansion gives us pause.
What we have realized is that our business model, here in Middlebury, doesn't automatically translate to any other town or community. We grew up here, we live here. Opening another Two Brothers Tavern in Burlington, Manchester, Portsmouth, Concord or Portland isn't guaranteed success, especially when it is so important for the owners to be so hands on and supportive of their community. If we were to open a restaurant in Portsmouth, I would want to be there every day just as I am here in Middlebury....and those logistics just don't work, obviously. Yes, I am guilty of some micromanagement issues.......I'm working on it.
That said, we were offered a generous opportunity to open a second restaurant in the 51 Main Street space several years ago and I jumped at it! I tried to sell Megan and Beal on a great Mexican restaurant concept (before Mad Taco) that would fill a real niche....and Mexican food generally has a really strong profit center! But they, along with some town elders, talked me out of it as the new double rail bridge work was about to wreak havoc on downtown....and closely on its's heals came Covid. Had I barrelled ahead with my plan, we would have likely lost everything. So, we will likely forever continue to focus on keeping our one storefront strong and our team of 50 gainfully employed. There are no current expansion plans of our TBT model........
But, I do harbor a very unlikely dream of one day opening a very small wine and tapas bar in town that won't compete with any other business.....a small dream that I think could be very nice for our community!
