- A lakeside spot here in Jackson County, better known as a casual summertime hangout, goes upscale.
- Eagle's Nest — part of a restaurant, hotel, and marina complex on Clark Lake — upgrades its service, interior, and menu with fresher, seasonal foods by new Executive Chef Jeff O'Harrow.
- Staff, Owner Blair Huff, and Brooklyn Village Manager Matt Swartzlander are optimistic the upgrades will make the restaurant a year-round destination, boosting local opportunities and income.
Another Brooklyn-area restaurant goes upscale.
"I think it's going to provide us with clientele for the winter," says Eagle's Nest server Kelly Walker.
With an upgrade to its menu, service, and interior, this lakeside eatery just outside Brooklyn aims to become more than just a summer spot for locals.
Here's what it could mean for the local economy.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
"What we're doing is bringing in more fresh foods, fresh fish, fresh seafood, all to the menu, we're doing more high-end steaks, so we're getting things like Faroe Island salmon, we're going to bring in fresh Walleye…" says newly-appointed head chef at Eagle's Nest, Jeff O'Harrow, who is spearheading the menu and service upgrades.
He says: "Our goal is to elevate the dining experience with our service training and with our food training with the kitchen staff — we're going to be working on technique, and how to actually prepare the fresher foods rather than the frozen."
The hope of Blair Huff, owner of Eagle's Nest, which is part of a hotel, restaurant, and marina complex right on Clark Lake:
"We're really trying to draw some people that haven't ever been out here before."
Huff says Eagle's Nest isn't well known outside the area…but wants to be a destination for diners from farther out.
I ask him if he thinks he can draw people in in the off-season.
"I think with this menu we're going to put together, that Jeff created is going to drive a lot of traffic out here," he says.
Waitstaff like Kelly Walker say the upgrade is giving them a shot at something better…both professionally and personally.
Better tips? I ask her.
"I think it will," she says. "I think the customers are going to enjoy themselves more, and it will bring back repetitive customers with bigger tips, as well."
Brooklyn Village Manager Matt Swartzlander sees it happening already.
"We see that with Atlas, we see that with Jerry's and the Beach Bar and Eagle's Nest — all of those are great attractors from not only Jackson and Adrian, but Ann Arbor, Greater Detroit, and Lansing, Toledo," says Swartzlander.
Swartzlander says the benefits are tangible: "It's providing more jobs, it's providing wonderful opportunities for people to experience the Brooklyn area."
A place to be not just for diners, but also for waitstaff.
Walker says: "You look out the door and you see the palm trees here, you think you're in the Keys somewhere, and then you realize you're at work — but you still have a great time here."
CHECK OUT THIS RECENT STORY ABOUT WHAT MADE A CHICAGO FAMILY DECIDE TO MOVE TO BROOKLYN AND OPEN AN UPSCALE RESTAURANT HERE.
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