December 31, 2017

Food & Drink Diary: Patriot Tavern

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Walpole, Ma’s Patriot Tavern.

What’s the Patriot Tavern story? The who/what/when/where/why?
My name is Steven Hixon, Owner of Patriot Tavern. I have been in the Restaurant business for 25 years. WOW. The Patriot Tavern is my first ownership. It truly is a family business, my wife Nora , my son Mack help with the daily operations. We all jump in and do everything from cooking to bar tending. My first business I have owned was Kitchen Mentors Inc. Nora and I would work with mostly behavioral schools in the RI and Ma area. We consider ourselves more like Social Entrepreneurs. We work closely with the schools, teaching students , culinary arts, servsafe and customer service skills. Neither Nora or I finished college, and while college is great it is not for everyone. So we look for students with a passion to give, ability to learn about the restaurant industry. I love giving the students a chance to succeed. Someone gave me that opportunity and we want to pass that on. So the Patriot Tavern is just the next step in the evolution of Kitchen Mentors Inc. We provide internships at Patriot Tavern. We work with local chefs in Mass and RI in satellite kitchens teaching students the finer points of the industry. Thats our passion, mentoring. Our vision for the future would be opening multiple Patriot Tavern, provide more internships in each location for students. We would also love to use the students time cooking meals for the elderly. We call it Meals from the Heart. Essentially, students would come in everyday and under The Chef , cook healthy conscious, gluten free, low sodium type meals. However these meals would be RESTAURANT QUALITY. We would then deliver them to seniors in the area at a $5 to $10 per meal range. Similar to Meals on Wheels however top notch from scratch food. That would be the next step for US. My wife , family and I continue to serve the Walpole\Norwood area the freshest seafood and quality comfort meals with a twist. We love the business it is truly a labor of love . thank you

In speaking with any restaurateurs I’ve come to learn that the restaurant business can be brutal. How has it been for you? What’s been the hardest part?
No it was not easy, In fact It takes a little luck. Money is the biggest challenge to any restaurant. The taxes the government puts on small business also makes it difficult. As far as overcoming them , that takes constant day to day vigilance. Its never ending, thats why most small restaurants fail the first year. You either work yourself to death and burnout or struggle with the high overhead. I have an amazing staff, my family and great friends working with me. You truly need that support system to succeed in this business.

What we love about independent, non-chain restaurants is that the independents bring new ideas forward. What’s interesting or unique about Patriot Tavern
WE have a great chef. Chef James has been in the industry for over twenty years, having done every job in the business. We love to think outside the box, our slogan… Let the Revolution begin….. means the restaurant chains can get tired. We like to do old favorites with a twist. Guinness stout Meatloaf, Smoked Mozzarella grilled cheese fried into triangles just to name a few. The secret to our success is actually our small kitchen. We are constantly ordering seafood three times a week. All our food is fresh and turned over fast. Plus people love sitting on our outdoor patio and just relaxing. We serve breakfast as well, with our BARTENDER BRUNCH being a local favorite. Eggs Benny, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage , pancakes and home fries. You also get a choice of 5 different kinds of Mimosas. And two kinds of Bloody Mary. Our Fiery Bloody Mary is made with infused jalapeno , habernero vodka. $15.99

Most Popular Items

Lobster Roll

Fresh steamed lobster served on a roll with our homemade Cole slaw and sweet potato planks
Baked Haddock

Fresh haddock broiled in a white wine sauce then topped with a garlic parmesan sauce and served with our garlic mashed potatoes and spinach