Trolley Square Grain Put “on Pause” in August

Partners plan to reimagine the smallest of the hospitality group’s restaurants. (Photos by Matt Urban)

Since opening in 2015, Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen has been on a roll.

The first location is on Main Street in Newark. But in quick succession, owners Lee Mikles and Jim O’Donoghue of OMG Hospitality debuted Grain H20 in Summit North Marina in Bear and a second Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen in Kennett Square.

Grain on the Rocks at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal and Grain Exchange on the University of Delaware’s STAR campus followed.

But the location at 1709 Delaware Ave. in Trolley Square, which opened in 2022, has been put on “pause,” a euphemism usually used by Bravo housewives who prefer not to say they’ve been fired.

The last day is Sunday, Aug. 4.

The casual concept—which focuses on friends, family and approachable food—seems like a no-brainer in Trolley Square/40 Acres, home to Trolley Square Oyster House , Crow Bar , Catherine Rooney’s and The Logan House .

However, Trolley is changing, and the old building space proved challenging to leverage for a full-fledged Grain experience.

Tight spaces

From the beginning, the culinary crew was challenged. The kitchen in the townhouse-like structure is tiny—there are RVs with more room.

While all the Grain locations look different, they offer far more space than the Trolley site.

“We kept trying to offer our Grain menu, and we kept modifying it,” Mikles says. Many dishes were prepped at Grain Exchange in Newark and transported to Wilmington. “We just kept banging our head against the wall.”

Scratch Magoo’s, the best-known occupant, was arguably more of a watering hole than a restaurant, albeit a popular one in its heyday. The restaurant opened in 1989 and closed in 2018. Bar Roja followed but didn’t survive the pandemic.

Changing faces

Some might say the area is already saturated with places like Grain, where you can grab a burger and beer with pals.

“We came in with a quality product but one that might not be distinctive in that area,” Mikles agrees.

But he and O’Donoghue also noticed that neighbors are no longer college grads at the start of their careers. Instead, locals have lived in the area for a decade or more—with no plans to move. Moreover, people 50-plus are downsizing in the suburbs to live in the walkable community.

The shifting demographics will undoubtedly appreciate The Post, Daniel Sheridan’s new smokehouse restaurant at 1715 Delaware Ave., which is surprisingly sophisticated with white linens, plush banquettes and an underlit bar.

Shifting directions

Making changes in the Trolley Grain space was not something OMG Hospitality could do overnight.

“While the landscape of Trolley has changed, the fact that everybody in Delaware goes to the beach in August has not,” Mikles notes. “If we were going to do it, this would be the best time.”

OMG has offered to move Trolley team members to other Grain locations, and gift cards will be honored at those sites.

Meanwhile, the partners will brainstorm potential concepts that will suit the new face of Trolley and the small kitchen.

If they develop something new, it will be the first time the partners—who met as neighbors— will deviate from the Grain concept.

Then again, each of the Grain locations has a distinct personality, and while the menus are similar, they have different views.

Consequently, a Grain whiskey bar is not out of the question.