By CAROLYN WILSEY, reprinted with permission from the Addison
Independent, October 21, 2002
It's been six months and The Bobcat Cafe in Bristol is going
strong and meeting its mission to provide a gathering place for
people from the area, according to owner Robert Fuller.
Fuller decided to create the restaurant after talking with
community members who felt that an English-style neighborhood
pub would be just the thing to draw Bristolites together.
So far, it seems that plan is working. Fuller, who also owns
Leunig's Bistro in Burlington, Pauline's in South Burlington and
is a partner at Cubber's Restaurant in Bristol and Gillian's in
Shelburne, wanted to find a minimum of 12 financial supporters
before he delved into the project to make sure that this venture
was something that people really wanted -- after all, Fuller had
plenty on his plate already.
Since his initial sales pitch to about 22 locals, 32 have
come forth to form The Bobcat Cafe's financial backbone.
Fuller said that the sponsors also act as marketing and focus
groups who are willing to give honest feedback about all aspects
of the restaurant.
Each contributes $5,000 and, in turn, gets 25 percent off
dinners for themselves and a friend. In five years, Fuller will
pay the sponsors back in full, plus interest.
"Things are really great," said Fuller. "The
response from the community has been overwhelming."
Fuller purchased the so-called Tomasi block, which includes
the restaurant's slot at 5 Main St.
"We were trying to build a place that was new but looked
old," he said.
Jim Sanford was the architect and Gary Rutherford the
builder. Before long, the place was outfitted with old
wainscoting, pictures of Bobcats and unique wood frames with
holes where maple taps had previously been.
A 100-year-old bar from New York state completed Fuller's
vision for the pub.
"That was total serendipity," Fuller said of his
friend Mark Leroy finding the bar. "It's just
incredible."
Fuller said that the entire process was a true collaborative
effort. The restaurant opened on April 3.
With business rolling along, Fuller and Paul Saylor of the
Catamount Brewing Company are looking to add new items to the
menu -- Bristol-brewed ales and lagers.
"Somewhere along the line the idea of brewing beer came
into the picture," Fuller said.
Test brewing is currently under way at the pub, and Fuller
expects to have some homemade varieties on tap by the end of
November.
While they are focusing on some classic German styles of
beer, Fuller said that the different brews will bear local names
-- "Deerleap Lager" and "River Runner's Red
Ale" are some tentative ideas.
Part of Fuller's beer brewing concept is being as
ecologically responsible as possible. The 350 pounds of spent
grain that will result from brewing a batch of beer, which is 20
kegs or 310 gallons, will be sent to the LaPlatte River Angus
farm in Shelburne. This is the farm that supplies The Bobcat
Cafe with its naturally-raised beef, said Fuller.
Yeast water, which cannot go into the septic system, will be
added to compost heaps.
"Brewers on a larger scale have a harder time dealing
with these issues," he said.
Feedback from a questionnaire that was sent out to sponsors a
few weeks ago, revealed that people like the cozy atmosphere of
the pub and prefer not to have that interrupted by live music.
"Most people don't want to see entertainment," he
said.
As for the menu, a couple of items are changed on a bi-weekly
basis. As much as possible, Fuller said that he likes to use
local ingredients and has been committed to this for a long time
-- right now wild mushrooms are prevalent so expect to see them
on upcoming menus.
