A Smile for Kerrytown

Eat has found its place in the center of Kerrytown despite opening in the midst of a pandemic.

AILISH KILBRIDE AND RIA LOWENSCHUSS

When Blake Reetz dreamed of opening his own dine-in restaurant, he never imagined breaking ground during a global pandemic.

Reetz, a chef who has worked in the restaurant business for over 20 years, has always been passionate about local, homegrown meals and serving his community. He prioritizes creating connections with his staff, as well as the people that he serves. Reetz opened Eat with his business partner, Emilia Mauck, in December of 2011. The original restaurant, located on Packard Street, opened with one booth and a bar with two seats. This limited the restaurant to catering and takeout. With a solid customer base and large catering events, Eat thrived on Packard. However, the Eat community dreamed of a dine-in location.

“We didn’t really have an opportunity to build much of an atmosphere for people to be in the restaurant,” Reetz said. “A lot of the feedback that we got from the community was that they wished we had seating for more people, and then this opportunity fell in our laps, so we took it.”

When a beloved lunch spot in Kerrytown closed its doors, Reetz and his partner decided it was time to expand their business. In October of 2020, Eat was ready to serve its first customer.

However, Covid-19 limited Eat’s entrance into the Kerrytown community. Until recently, Eat was only able to offer takeout and do small catering jobs.

“The person-to-person connection with customers and the people eating our food [was] completely gone,” Reetz said.

Anna Topping, a front-of-house staff member at Eat, started working at the Kerrytown location when it opened. Topping misses the atmosphere of Eat and the feeling of a physical community before Covid-19.

“You don’t have the same experience with people dining in, having a full restaurant and getting the energy of your restaurant,” Topping said. “[Eat] not being as bustling as it usually is is definitely missing because of Covid.”

Although they were small to begin with, Eat had to significantly lower their staff numbers due to Covid-19. This adjustment has created an opportunity for deeper connections and bonds to form within the team.

“[Working during Covid-19 has] given me an opportunity to get to know the people I’m working with better and strengthen how we work day-to-day,” Topping said. “As things open back up, we’re even stronger.”

The atmosphere of Kerrytown is a change from Eat’s Packard location. In addition to the friendly business owners, the staff at Eat have been able to connect with pedestrians strolling around the cobblestone streets or shopping in the stores that surround the restaurant.

“[Kerrytown] is very Ann Arbor,” Reetz said. “I’ve lived in Ann Arbor for 20 years now, and I’ve always loved [the] area. It’s a cool community to be a part of.” Fresh and locally grown food is a top priority for Eat. The restaurant is passionate about putting homegrown meals in front of customers. Eat is as dedicated to the Ann Arbor community as it is to its fresh ingredients.

“[Eat] cares about the food and the essence of the restaurant itself [and] bringing that to customers and the community,” Topping said.

As a chef, putting a smile on a customer’s face through food is a treasured experience for Reetz. He has always loved cooking and creating new dishes, but the connection between the restaurant and its customers is where he finds his passion.

“One of my favorite things is when a dish that I make brings back a memory for someone,” Reetz said. “I love when people are reminded of something from the past as they are eating my food.”

Although the pandemic has brought new experiences and different forms of joy, Eat is looking forward to a new normal in Kerrytown.

“I’m very much looking forward to having a full restaurant, having people at all of the tables, enjoying the food and making connections,” Reetz said.

Photography by Ailish Kilbride and Ria Lowenschuss

Eat’s sign at their new location in Kerrytown illuminates the courtyard. The restaurant opened its doors in October of 2020 and has enjoyed the new and upbeat environment of Kerrytown. “There’s a really good energy to Kerrytown,” Topping said. “It’s a part of town that people like to be in.”