ATTLEBORO — Morin Hospitality Group has expanded its restaurant operations.
Russell Morin’s Catering & Events has purchased the Bayberry Brewery on West Fountain Street in Providence for $350,000, said Russell “Rusty” Morin Jr., owner and treasurer of Russell Morin’s Catering & Events.
He expects the deal to close next month.
“I can’t miss it,” Morin, 78, said in an interview Friday at his office in the Attleboro Industrial Park. “The price is very reasonable. We want to make the catering business bigger. When the opportunity comes, you go to the bank to borrow money and pay it back.”
The restaurant will have a yet-to-be-determined new name and serve “edgy comfort food,” Morin said, adding, “It will be more upscale.”
The restaurant will serve liquor and beer, he said.
Morin said his company hired the Boston-based marketing firm Real Food to conduct research and determine “what would make sense” at the location.
“There are a lot of interesting restaurants in that area,” he said. “But ours will be the best.”
Morin said there hasn’t been a lot of renovation work done on the Bayberry building.
The company is currently renovating Morin’s Diner on South Main Street in downtown Attleboro. The dining room portion of the restaurant has been completed and reopened.
A wall separated the dining room, known as Morin’s Hometown Bar & Grille, from the rest of the restaurant, which has been torn down for a complete renovation.
“This is the flagship, so we have to take care of it,” Morin said.
He said that with apartment towers going up on nearly every corner of the city center, there will be a new, younger customer base.
Morin said all three of his businesses, including the downtown restaurant, are doing well.
With seven locations and annual revenue of approximately $17 million, the Cru Café in Newport, Rhode Island, is booming and has added 60 seats.