Photograph courtesy Daniel Souder
While this December marks three years since Pleasantry closed its doors, the fall also signals a new beginning for former co-owner Daniel Souder, as he opens Danny Boy, a butcher shop, deli, restaurant and wine bar located in Mariemont.
The story of how he went from one to the next is not unfamiliar: Post-pandemic economics and the high cost of running a business eventually took their toll. Souder says at first Pleasantry was lucky enough to make it through the pandemic relatively unscathed, thanks to supportive customers who took advantage of take-out and adjusted dine-in options. Then, when they re-opened for full service in 2021, customers flooded to the restaurant, making it one of the busiest seasons they’d ever had.
Eventually the flux of patrons leveled out while the cost of labor and goods continued rising. Reluctance to pass on the price increase coupled with the grind of trying to make a restaurant profitable while missing two little ones at home, Souder and his business partner, Joanna Kirkendall, made the decision to close at the end of 2022.
Souder says he felt at peace with the decision to not renew their lease. “At the end of the day, I felt like Pleasantry was something that meant a lot to people, and I was fine with it being what it was,” he explains. “Once I got to that acceptance, I was content with my decision.”
Although Souder still had Iris Read (a natural wine shop and bar in Walnut Hills that he opened in 2022), he yearned for another community-centric establishment.
“Going into 2023, I had the wine shop, but I knew that couldn’t be the only thing I’d do for the rest of my career,” Souder says. “I didn’t know if I wanted to do anything else within this [restaurant] world, but I knew I didn’t have any interest in doing anything high end or big. I like small. I like intimate. I like approachable — neighborhood-y but still elevated.”
While Souder was approached about a few different ideas that year, nothing really excited him enough to bite. Then, around halfway through 2023, he thought of a way to bring in multiple revenue streams, a way to hamstring rising labor and food costs that could be wrapped up into one business that offered a little bit of everything.
Photograph courtesy Daniel Souder
Not just a restaurant, not just a take-out place, not just a butcher shop, not just a larder — Danny Boy promises to be all of the above; a neighborhood spot that anyone and everyone can enjoy.
Idea solidified, he went about finding the ideal location. As a resident of Madisonville, Souder was looking to keep the new business right inside his very own locale, as a way to “meet people where they are,” he says.
Eventually, he discovered the space at 6898 Murray Avenue. The spot is an eight-minute walk from his house, near his kids’ school and surrounded by friends and neighbors.
“It’s in the neighborhood where I live. I’ll be among my kids, their friends and their parents,” Souder says. “I felt like being in a neighborhood that’s very dense, surrounded by other residential neighborhoods [allows me to] bring something to them that isn’t there now.”
Inspirations for his one-stop-shop concept include other local and national neighborhood spots like Wyoming Meat Market, Marlow & Daughters in Brooklyn, New York, and Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Souder’s new space is still intimate. At 1,500 square feet, Danny Boy’s two-story building will feature retail shelves stocked with curated pantry items and wine as well as grab-and-go prepared foods like salads and sandwiches, a deli case stocked with a variety of locally sourced meat, a counter for ordering fresh-cut deli options and a small amount of seating on the first floor. Patrons will also be able to order lunch menu items like sandwiches, soups and salads or select from an event catering menu.
The second floor will offer a more “residential” vibe, with full dinner and bar service for up to 40 people. Although there will be no Pleasantry menu holdovers served, patrons will recognize the familiar, well-sourced, seasonal style of former Pleasantry Chef Evan Hartman, who again joins Daniel in this latest venture.
“I hope and truly feel that [Danny Boy] will be one of those places that people in the neighborhood and the surrounding areas will wonder, ‘How have we not had something like this before?’” Souder says.
Facebook Comments