Restaurant wrecked by fire replaces shuttered Worthington eatery
Watch a previous NBC4 report on Shakers Public House in the video player above.
WORTHINGTON, Ohio (WCMH) — A central Ohio bar and grill destroyed in a fire has relocated, taking over the kitchen of another restaurant whose owner unexpectedly died last year.
Shakers Public House is now open at 480 E. Wilson Bridge Road in Worthington, the former home of another bar named J&D’s Place that closed in December. Shakers relocated after an electrical fire last September gutted the interior and collapsed the roof of the grill’s original eatery at 385 Georgesville Road, the end of a three-year run at the spot that sat across from the Hollywood Casino.
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“As devastating as it was, I just couldn’t sit idle,” owner Spencer Campbell said. “We built a loyal following at the original Shakers. I knew I had to relocate but wasn’t sure where or when that would be.”
At the time of the fire, Campbell told NBC4 he was hoping he could salvage the original building, but later began negotiating with the owner of J&D’s, Jon Clevenger, to take over the Worthington spot. After Clevenger’s unexpected death at 51 in September, Campbell completed a deal to take over the entire 7,000-square-foot restaurant.
Since then, the Shakers team has renovated J&D’s into Shakers’ new home, tearing down walls and creating an open dining concept with modern design touches. Additions also include a new stage built for live entertainment on the eatery’s sprawling patio, including a Micro Wrestling Federation event scheduled for this July.
The bar and grill is now serving up burgers, sandwiches, wings with more than 20 sauces and dry rubs, salads and a selection of starters and desserts. Campbell has also inked a deal to sell pizzas from Ohio-owned Pizza Cottage and another with Mike’s Hot Honey, a New York City-based condiment maker whose zesty sauce will be used in several recipes.
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Campbell is considering launching another restaurant concept at Shakers’ original Georgesville Road eatery, where he remains the landlord of the property. Despite the fire, the foundation of the structure is solid and Campbell said he’d like to capitalize on the spot given the proximity of Hollywood Casino.
“I’m open to any kind of plan,” he said.
Shakers is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily, with the kitchen closing at midnight.
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