The train car portion of The Gray Goat — formerly Jag's — is nearly completed as Bob Johnson, owner of the new Oakville establishment, stands alongside the bar on Monday, April 17, 2017.
While the bar is nearly completed and expected to open by the end of the month, the restaurant at The Gray Goat is currently open and serving daily. Bob Johnson, the owner of the Oakville establishment, says Friday's special — clam chowder and fry bread — is a can't miss meal.
Bob Johnson, the owner of The Gray Goat in Oakville, is seen in the reflection of a mirror in the bar area of the restaurant on Monday afternoon.
The Gray Goat — located in the building formerly known as Jag's — is at 314 W. Pine St. in Oakville.
When Bob Johnson set out to open a restaurant and bar in Oakville, he didn’t have much to go on except for a first-rate name — The Gray Goat.
“Everybody wants to know about the name,” said Johnson with a laugh as he pointed to his salt and pepper goatee he says inspired the moniker. “I thought it was a pretty good name.”
Johnson has never owned a restaurant before, so every experience so far has been a new one that he’s had to troubleshoot on the fly. For the past 18 years, Johnson has filled the handyman maintenance role for the Oakville School District. It’s a job that he still works every weekday with his nights, weekends and evenings dedicated to rounding The Gray Goat into shape. So far, he’s found the required skillsets for each job to be highly transferable.
“I just thought I’d give it a try. I’ve always wanted to open one for myself and I’m from here,” explained Johnson. “I’ve never owned a restaurant or a bar, so I’m learning along the way.”
Johnson purchased the building, which for decades housed Jag’s Hiway 12 Diner, back in November and he says he’s been hard at work transforming it into something new ever since.
“We just decided it would be a little more family-friendly if we split it and kept the bar over here and the restaurant over there,” explained Johnson during a tour of the work-in-progress bar side of the business, which has been playfully named the Goat Pen.
“It’s been fun so far,” he said. “Me and a friend of mine have pretty much remodeled the whole place.”
Johnson expects the bar to be finished and ready for libations by the end of April, but the restaurant side is already pumping out piping hot plates for the patrons. The working plan is to establish a dinner special for each night of the week. Johnson said so far chicken fried steaks have proven to be popular every night, but Friday’s special of fresh clam chowder and fry bread has generated the most enthusiastic response.
“That’s why we have paper menus right now, because we’re trying to figure out what works best,” explained Johnson.
No matter what makes it onto the menu, Johnson is committed to keeping the doors open early and often for anyone who wants to drop in. Breakfast starts coming off the grill each day at 6 a.m. and dinner is served until at least 8 p.m. During summer hours, Johnson expects to expand the restaurant hours to 10 or 11 p.m. Over on the bar side, Johnson expects to stay open until 11 p.m. or midnight from Sunday through Wednesday with the Thursday through Saturday crowd enjoying extended drinking and socializing opportunities.
“Some people will say they don’t want to drive out here if you’re going to close up early,” noted Johnson. “If we’ve got enough people in here to stay open then we’re going to stay open.”
With its iconic train car exterior situated on the south side of Highway 12 across from the lumberyard in downtown Oakville, the building has long been a landmark for travelers heading to and from the beach. Replacing a community cornerstone like Jag’s may have been daunting for some folks but, Johnson is taking it all in stride.
“It was Jag’s ever since I was a kid,” said Johnson, who grew up in Oakville, and like a dutiful Acorn, has never fallen too far from the tree.
He says the response from the locals has been helpful in keeping him energized six months into the remodel project.
“It’s pretty good so far.,” he said. “Pretty much 20 times a day I get asked, ‘When’s the bar gonna open?’”
