The Market House Supermarket will add a new attraction to its assortment: breakfast food, which will be served in a new dine-in restaurant area called Sharon’s House of Pancakes.
Brett Boyd, the owner of Market House Supermarket, which is part of The Hometown Hotspot complex, said the idea of adding a breakfast restaurant to Market House has been kicked around for a while.
“We had the opportunity to talk ideas with Wayne Babcock and do something with Wayne that he’s wanted to do for quite some time,” Boyd said. “It’s an opportunity to take Market House to the next level.”
Babcock, former owner of Olivia’s Chop House and Saucy Dogs BBQ in Jonesville as well as house director and cook at the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house, will manage the pancake house.
“Everyone enjoys breakfast, everyone eats breakfast,” Babcock said. “It’s a comfort food.”
Sharon’s House of Pancakes will add to the current food court available in Market House, which includes Krispy Krunchy Chicken and Blimpies. However, the breakfast place will include a dining area distinct from the grocery store.
“You probably won’t believe it, but once we are done it will blow your mind,” Babcock said. “It will look like a restaurant. You have to walk through part of the grocery store or the food court area to get to it, but once you get seated you will not know you are in a grocery store.”
Due to coronavirus restrictions and the ever-changing guidelines for restaurants, Boyd said he is prepared to adjust in order to comply with any restrictions, but hopes to open Sharon’s in January.
“We’ll really focus on doing business within the realm of the restrictions. If they still are in place in January, obviously our strategies will abide with those,” he said. “Our customers continue to change and obviously with the pandemic this year, we continue to change our business models to best serve our customers. We continue to take steps forward every day.”
According to Babcock, Sharon’s will increase the amount of traffic in the store during morning hours.
“The number one thing is customer flow, customer awareness, and the new purpose of the place is to bring people in to Market House,” he said.
Boyd said has known Babcock since they were teenagers, and that Babcock’s experience makes him perfect for a shared project like this.
“Wayne is a family friend, we went to Hillsdale High School together,” Boyd said. “Wayne has made a name for himself as a restaurant entrepreneur. He’s a young man who has an incredible reputation for quality food and quality representation.”
Babcock has been part of the project since it began and will oversee the kitchen. His role will also include cultivating the visual appeal of the food.
“The breakfast is going to be phenomenal,” Babcock said. “The pancakes are going to be over-the-top with the toppings and the flavor and the profile.”
The restaurant will focus on pancakes but will also serve other traditional breakfast food.
“We’ll have the classics — biscuits and gravy and eggs and bacon,” Babcock said. “But the focus will be the pancakes. That will be our niche. We’ll be known for our pancakes.”
Senior and ATO president Micah Perry said Babcock’s cooking is “always fantastic.”
“He knows how to make just about anything and how to make it well,” Perry said. “I’ve never had a bad meal made by him. He can make traditional favorites well but also has the ability to create and introduce new flavors and pairings. All of ATO loves him and his cooking. I’m confident the new restaurant will be a huge success.”
The dining experience will be comparable to that of Panera Bread, combining fast food with traditional dining options and seating.
“By the time you’ve had a couple sips of your beverage, the food is coming out,” he said.
Boyd said the restaurant will need about 12 to 15 new employees.
According to Babcock, the restaurant will bring in lots of Hillsdalians who are willing to pay for high quality pancakes.
“Once they get a taste of our food and our quality, there’s going to be a hundred people in here waiting to get their breakfast,” he said.
