TROLLEY STOP CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF FOOD
In a way, restaurant years are like dog years — one human year is equivalent to a whole lot more for a locally-owned restaurant.
The lifespan of a typical restaurant is really pretty short. Most industry publications agree that the average independent restaurant’s life span is five years, with up to 90 percent of independently owned restaurants closing in year one. And those stats were from before the COVID-19 crisis hit.
A local restaurant celebrating 25 years in business deserves a party. It’s an incredible milestone worth celebrating, and that’s just what the Trolley Stop is doing.
The Oregon District staple celebrated 25 years under its current ownership last week and commemorated its anniversary with a throwback menu with items from 1995, when the current owners purchased it and opened the doors.
The menu they launched to celebrate proved to be so popular that they will be holding the menu over this week for more people to come out and enjoy.
Co-owner and General Manager Robin Sassenberg says she is deeply grateful to the community who has supported her business through good times and bad.
Customers have been the number one reason for success in achieving this major milestone, according to Sassenberg. She says the full recipe for success has been a list of very important ingredients — the staff, the customers, food made with love, great local vendor partners and the restaurant’s relaxed and comfortable vibe.
“The community has been the total reason for our success. We all need to pull together, especially now and stay on this path where we are reaching out to each other and spending time working toward the same goal of staying happy and feeling safe and maybe having a beer or two,” she said.
Special Menu
In a recent social media post, Trolley Stop owners wrote, “This month is our 25th anniversary!! We’d love to have a giant celebration but since that’s definitely not in the cards right now. So we are going to celebrate all week! We have Throw Back Menu items from 1995 (when we officially joined the Oregon District family) and we will have them available all week! Please stop by, grab a bite to eat or drink and be as shocked as we are that we made it this long! We appreciate each and every one of you!”
Here’s a look at the throwback menu from the first menu in 1995 that’s being offered for one more week only:
CLASSIC FOOD ITEMS
No Date Nachos: Tortilla chips with chili, cheese, onions, jalapeno, and lots of raw garlic, $7
Pat‘s Pastrami: Grilled pastrami with melted Provolone cheese, dark mustard, mayonnaise, banana peppers, red onions, and sprouts on a Kaiser roll, $9
Tina’s Terrific Turkey: Turkey and muenster served hot on an onion roll with tomato, lettuce, sprouts, mayonnaise, and coleslaw, $9
Cucumber Cheese: Cucumber, lettuce, sprouts, onion, mustard or mayonnaise with your choice of Colby, provolone, or Swiss on whole wheat bread, $7
Stuffed Pita: Sprouts, lettuce, avocado, and tomato with mayonnaise in a pita pocket, $8
BEST-SELLING DRINKS FROM 1995
Tom Collins: Gin, house-made sour, a splash of soda and topped with a cherry, $3.95
Tequila Sunrise: Tequila, O J, splash of grenadine, $3.95
Long Island Iced Tea: L.I.T is Vodka, Gin, Tequila, Rum, Triple Sec topped with house-made sour and a splash of coke, $3.95
THROWBACK SHOTS
Old-school shots that sound scary to our older selves... but the price is on point!
Red Headed Slut: Jager, peach schnapps and cranberry, $3.95
Lemon Drop: Vodka, house-made sour and splash soda. Served with a sugared lemon, $3.95
Purple Hooter: Vodka, Razzmatazz, housemade sour and splash soda, $3.95
Dayton Eats looks at the regional food stories and restaurant news that make mouths water. Share info about your menu updates, special dinners and events, new chefs, interesting new dishes and culinary adventures. Do you know of exciting outdoor spaces, new exciting format changes, specials, happy hours, restaurant updates or any other tasty news you think is worth a closer look at? E-mail Alexis Larsen at alexis.e.larsen@hotmail.com with the information and we will work to include it in future coverage.