'Food’s great, people are happy:' Ownership pleased with Mellow Mushroom Ocala grand opening

About 175 patrons packed the Mellow Mushroom restaurant in downtown Ocala on Dec. 4 to celebrate the eatery’s grand opening.

Restaurant co-owner Brad Harper called the full-house and party-like atmosphere in the first floor of the building at 2 SW Fort King St. a “very healthy” launch.

“Food’s great, people are happy,” he said.

The Atlanta-based franchise features stone baked classic or thin crust pizzas like the Mighty Meaty five meat pizza, as well as calzones, wings, salads, hoagies and burgers.

The opening of the restaurant at Fort King Street and South Magnolia Avenue in the former Brother’s Keeper Thrift Shop has been much anticipated by people who work downtown or have visited Mellow Mushroom locations elsewhere.

Jerry Guerra, project manager with builder Benmar Construction of Ocala, said the former building was demolished and the current three-story building is “all new.”City of Ocala permits indicate a building permit was issued for the address in August 2022.

Guerra said for some time during construction the windows were masked.

“The last four months, so many people came up and the No. 1 question was ‘When will Mellow Mushroom open?' Their questions were answered Monday,” he said in a phone interview.

Guerra ate lunch during the grand opening with Don Stevens, Al Milton and David Ellspermann. Guerra said the Mighty Meat five meat pizza was delicious.

Restaurant staff member Abby Bowden, greeting customers, said patrons had remarked about waiting for the location to open.

The first dine-in customers for the grand opening were Rodney Whitrock and Dahlia Cook. The couple met at their workplace, FedEx in Ocala, and recently became engaged.

Whitrock heard of Mellow Mushroom about two years ago and has eaten at the Orlando location. He said he saw the signage in downtown Ocala and has been waiting for the opening.

The couple had his and hers pizzas Monday: She had pizza with meat and bacon while his was topped with Buffalo chicken and bacon.

Cook said the tasty pizza was worth the wait.

“The customized pizza I ordered was very delicious, correct, and was worth the wait and price. The toppings were mouthwatering, the cheese was savory and stringy, and the thin crust was crispy,” she wrote in a later email.

Whitrock agreed.

"The Buffalo Chicken Pizza was perfect...(c)hicken was easy to chew and the bacon was crispy and tasteful. For being a medium size pizza I couldn't eat the whole thing …(d)efinetly will be going back for more to try the local only section of the menu,” he wrote in part in the email.

The couple’s tab provided the first dollar of sales for the eatery.

Kevin Joel — a member of a crew from Mellow Mushroom corporate office helping with opening preparations — said the grand opening “went smooth.” He said the company was founded around 1974 and has about 170 locations stretching westward to Texas.

Waitress Faith Dutelle said she was previously involved in a different brand restaurant’s grand opening locally and Monday’s was “way better” than the other company’s. She praised the ownership of the local Mellow Mushroom.

Glenn Lane, a local Realtor, has an office nearby, adjacent to the downtown Ocala Square. He and Sharon Lewis, who works in his office, decided to visit the restaurant, which is convenient and within walking distance. They’ve looked forward to the opening.

Elana Borrman and Kim Hill with Hill’s Shred Express stopped at Mellow Mushroom for lunch. Borrman said they’ve been waiting for the opening.

Hill, co-owner of Hill’s Shred Express, stated by phone the Holy Shiitake Pie the two diners shared — featuring shiitake, portobello and button mushrooms and other ingredients like olive oil and garlic and MontAmore cheese — was “fantastic.”

Harper said a MOOYAH Burgers, Fries and Shakes (MOOYAH.com) restaurant is set to open in the west section of the building’s first floor by spring 2024.

An undisclosed restaurant and game room is slated to fill the second floor and a rooftop bar will be on the third floor, all in place by the end of 2024, Harper stated.

Lew Graff was with the corporate office crew on hand for the big day. He called the Ocala grand opening one of the “best ever.”

Mellow Mushroom, 2 SW Fort King St., Ocala. (352) 421-5098. Open daily 11 a.m. to. 10 p.m. Mellowmushroom.com

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Boost for downtown Ocala: Mellow Mushroom open; more coming at that site