Goodbye, Red Wing, and hello, Blondie's. Sale closes on popular dining spot near Gillette
WALPOLE – The Red Wing Diner near Gillette Stadium has officially been sold.
In a Sept. 5, 2023, Facebook post, Red Wing's owners said they were closing the nearly 100-year-old restaurant for repairs. Instead of reopening, a for-sale sign appeared outside the diner the following week.
The new owners, Milton husband and wife Peter and Patricia Crowley, closed on the Route 1 property for $1.2 million, and the sale has been recorded with the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, according to Ed Tartufo, a real estate agent with Jack Conway Realty in Mansfield who handled the listing.
The asking price was $1.35 million.
"My wife and I are very excited to begin working on the restaurant and to bring Texas-style barbecue to Walpole, Foxborough and the surrounding communities," Peter Crowley said in an email.
Who are the Crowleys and what are their plans?
The Crowleys plan to reopen the Red Wing as Blondie's Barbeque after renovations to the existing space.
The couple are far from newcomers to operating a restaurant.
The couple, who met at culinary school, have owned Café G at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston since 2002.
The upscale café began with 22 seats and has since expanded to 75 following its move from one part of the museum to another as part of an overall 2012 expansion project there.
In an earlier email, Peter Crowley said he and his wife have no plans to detach themselves from Café G as they shift their food focus in a new direction with Blondie's.
Tartufo said he bleieves the Crowleys are a good fit for the property."
"Many restaurant prospects looked at the Red Wing, but Peter and Trish Crowley showed the most interest, ability to make it work and the passion to bring their skills to this new venue for them," he said.
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Plans to bring Blondie's to life
The Walpole Select Board unanimously approved the transfer of the Red Wing's alcohol license to Blondie's during its March 12 meeting.
The board also approved fan entertainment license for a TV and non-live music.
Michael Cabral, the Crowleys' attorney, described the couple's concept for how Blondie's would operate after an interior redesign during the meeting.
The bar area of the former restaurant would be removed and replaced by an ordering counter. After customers order, they would grab an open table and the food and drinks would be brought to them.
While the restaurant could, like Red Wing, serve as a game-day draw, Cabral said the design concept would not "lend itself to people lingering for hours drinking there."
"Generally speaking, they need a turnover of tables to make it work," he said.
Because Café G offers alcohol, Cabral said Patricia and Peter Crowley already have state certification for alcohol service and sales.
Longer-range plans could include outdoor dining, catering to Gillette
Cabral said takeout and catering preparations for tailgaters heading to Gillette are also being considered, Cabral said. Outdoor seating, which some select board members encouraged, is not on the short list of plans while the Crowleys focus on completing the sale and getting the restaurant up and running.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Red Wing diner is officially sold
