Photo courtesy Mike Dew
To many, pizza is simply that—pizza. But to Mike Dew, owner of Wayfarer Tavern, it presents a plethora of opportunity. “A pizza is more than the sum of its parts,” he says.
After hosting a few casual pizza parties, Dew started to wonder how he could improve upon the Detroit-style pies he’d been making in his home oven. After seeing tavern-style pizza become the new craze, he started experimenting with a new hybrid pizza.
“I just wanted to play around with it,” he recalls. “I’m not somebody who just copies a thing, I want to see where I can go with it.”
As a graphic designer who helped local restaurant Pho Lang Thang with its initial branding a decade ago (which led him to become part of the Lang Thang Restaurant Group), his lack of professional restaurant experience didn’t stop him from sharing his new East Coast meets Detroit creation (think thin crust, crispy cheese edges, and square cut).
After selling pizzas out of his home, he needed to go bigger. He hired a general manager and a kitchen team, and began hosting pop-ups. “We sold, like, 40 pizzas in 20 minutes,” Dew says of the first pop-up they held at Merchant’s Club in The Party Source. “The line was out the door.”
The success of the pop-ups only increased his confidence that Cincinnatians were ready for a permanent location. The stars seemed to align when Dew was laid off from his day job on the very day of his pop-up at Pho Lang Thang. He knew he didn’t want to find a new graphic design gig, and after a little help from his friends, Wayfarer came to fruition.
Photo courtesy Mike Dew
“Every step of the way people have been crazy helpful and encouraging,” he says. “That’s something that I didn’t anticipate—how supportive so many people in so many corners have been.”
In addition to the pizza, which is the star of the show, the menu includes a full cocktail and wine list, upscale appetizers, and desserts. It may seem strange to order tuna crudo or Wagyu beef carpaccio at a pizza place, but that’s the point.
“The way I see it is, we’re a great restaurant that sells pizza. But we have everything else too,” Dew adds.
Wayfarer Tavern was designed head to toe by Dew, from the chairs to the light fixtures to the custom-built bar (his personal favorite aspect of the space). The historic Burton Building, nestled in downtown Dayton, Kentucky, was once home to Dayton City Hall, the city’s first Kroger, and now Wayfarer Tavern. Why Dayton, you may ask? Dew’s family has lived there for generations.
Photo courtesy Mike Dew
“My great-grandparents lived here, my grandparents lived here, my parents went to school here, and I live here,” he explains. “I know people here can be concerned about the neighborhood changing, but I’m just as much a local as anyone else.”
While the pizza is the main thing to Dew, it isn’t the only thing. To him, service and attention to detail are the keys to Wayfarer’s success.
“It’s like a three-legged stool: service, atmosphere, and food,” he says. “We have them but we need to make sure we continue to have them. I hope Wayfarer becomes a reliable Cincinnati staple.”
Wayfarer Tavern, 635 Sixth Ave., Dayton, Kentucky, (859) 360-0943
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