The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
New Lure Bistro owners bring flavor
New ownership of Lure Bistro to mix old with new
Dave Pike, longtime general manager for Jaret Havanchak, is the new owner of Lure Bistro in downtown Willoughby.
He’s established many of that restaurant’s routines and menus and won’t be changing much.
“We’ve kept our Tuesday Half-Price Sushi Night and the rest of our menu,” he said. “We now have an allday Happy Hour on Wednesdays but we ended our allyou-can eat crab legs when the price skyrocketed to $49.” He also ended the bread service, although bread is available for $1 when requested.
The washrooms have changed to each serve both genders and the doors reflect that.
The two men, who met many years ago when both worked at Sawyer House, have a mutual love of family, and that love was what was behind the change of ownership.
“As owner of both Lure and Square Bistro in Chardon I found I was having less and less time to spend with my wife, Rebekah and our children Ava, 9 and twins Ivy and Elena, 7,” Havanchak explained. “Dave was my GM for both restaurants but I was still spending a lot of my time in Willoughby,
so I sold Lure to him.”
The two men still consult with each other regularly, Pike said.
Pike, who lives in Perry with his wife and four kids, also puts time with family at the top of his priority list.
In a profession that often means 70-hour work weeks, keeping control of the schedule is often the biggest challenge. The patio at Lure has a huge following is summer, but winter in the restaurant
is much less busy, so Pike has put his chefs on a salary to keep their pay the same the year round. That has resulted in a stability of staff unusual in the restaurant business.
“We are like family,” Pike said. “Some of our employees have been here since before Jaret bought Lure from Nick Kustala,” he said. That was in 2008.
“I can count on my staff to manage things so I can get away to attend my son’s
basketball games or another family thing.”
Pike is a familiar face to those who dine out regularly in Lake County. He’s worked as a busser, server, manager and in the kitchen. He began his career in the local restaurant business when he was 14 as a dishwasher and barback keeper at the former Avenue Grille in Mentor.
“I was always a curious kid, and food was an accessible thing to try,” he said, explaining that a barback keeper is like a busser for a bartender, keeping lemons and limes sliced and at the ready, glasses washed, ice bins full and bottles in place.
He’s had a long relationship with Joe Longo, working for him at Avenue Grill in Mentor, Joey’s in Madison Township and opening Longo’s Cater to You catering arm.
Now his 14-year-old daughter, Meadow, serves as hostess for Lure. And, she says, she loves the variety of the work and the regulars.
“Seventy-five percent of our customers are regulars,” Pike said. “We’ve been seeing the same people for years.”
Fish and seafood is delivered three times a week and is always fresh. “We have no cooler or freezer so we serve it as we get it. I’ve got a fantastic fishmonger who gets us unusual fish such as scorpion grouper and linecaught whole snapper.
“We’re closed Sundays and Mondays so we sometimes run out of things on Saturday,” Pike said, “There’s no way I will ever serve fourday-old salmon on Tuesday.”
Lure Executive Chef Rich Hanna has worked with Pike and Havanchak at several restaurants and enjoys the challenge presented by Lure’s seafood-intensive menu. He educates servers to the various fish tastes so they can describe it to diners.
On this day Golden Corvina was being prepared for the menu with tastes for the servers accompanied by descriptive adjectives. Hanna served it over snap peas and whole baby carrots topped with corn shoots and a puree of lemon basil and sweet peas. He’s proud that Lure’s food looks as good as it tastes.
“We get our beef, pork and chicken from New Creation Farm in Chardon Township,” Pike said. “We also source our vegetables locally during the growing season.”
New Creation farmers Scott and Kristen Boehnlein raise Scottish Highland cattle, plus lamb, heritage breed pigs and poultry all without antibiotics or hormones. Their eight children, who are homeschooled, assist with every aspect of the farm work and its Saturday morning market.
“Like us, they’re also focused on family, Pike said.