Trio is a new restaurant in the Bradley Hall Building at 14 N. State St. in Greenfield. Tuesday, June 28, 2022.
GREENFIELD – Three entrepreneurs have breathed new life into space left by a former coffee shop downtown.
Trio has opened at 2 W. Main St. where The Greenfield Grind operated until its closure last year. The venue offers breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and wine.
The business’ name is a nod to its three owners – Tim and Denise Hexamer and Will Worley.
“We’ve always wanted to have a little place,” Tim Hexamer said of he and his wife, adding she’s been involved in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, including with a pub in England for five years.
Worley also owns Porter Books & Bread, with locations in Lawrence and downtown Indianapolis. The Hexamers, who live in Fortville, got to know him as patrons of his business.
“We always liked his concept,” Tim Hexamer said.
When they learned The Greenfield Grind location became available, they decided to give it a go.
They implemented several changes to their new space, including incorporating a former common area adjacent to the coffee shop and sectioning it off with a wall for use as a dining section. They also built a new bar, upgraded the kitchen, repainted the interior and installed new lighting.
Trio serves wine on its premises and offers it for carry-out as well.
Worley said he usually runs a scratch kitchen, making as much as possible in house with a focus on using local vendors.
“During the week we’re focusing on an expedient breakfast menu,” he said. “So, very simple. Breakfast sandwiches, bagels and toast. A lot of pastries in-house.”
Sandwiches and salads make up the majority of the lunch selection.
“During the week, in the mornings and lunch we’re trying to keep it fairly relaxed, counter-ordering, and fairly quick-service items,” Worley said. “And for dinner we know people want to take their time a little bit, so we’re going to move to table service and a little more cook-to-order type things.”
Worley said Trio’s menu offerings are inspired by his past with food and also his new surroundings.
“I find it kind of difficult to separate myself from a lot of the food I’ve made in the past,” he said. “A lot of it I think is inspired specifically from some old menus. But then we really try to make a concerted effort to highlight some of the things about Greenfield that we think are going to be successful out here.
“I’ve got a lot of family recipes on the menu that I haven’t been able to use in the past, or some of the brunch items we maybe haven’t done, or other concepts,” he continued. “Some of the spreads and sauces and things are items that I make at home or just haven’t had an opportunity to work into a menu elsewhere. A lot of homemade food that we’re pretty excited about.”
Worley also wants to honor the memory of The Greenfield Grind.
“I know a lot of people have a lot of respect for the folks that were operating the space before us,” he said. “I think we’re trying to take an approach, specifically with breakfast and brunch, that is going to keep people reminiscent of The Greenfield Grind a little bit. And the same with coffee as well – we want to try to run a craft coffee venue here kind of similar to how the Grind did.”
Worley said he’s drawn to the food service industry for a similar reason he’s drawn to sports betting.
“There’s very little that gets me quite as excited as knocking out a lunch service with no errors,” he said. “When a group in the kitchen can work as one entire system and everybody gets out unscathed through a dinner service or something; we knock a catering gig out of the park; those kinds of highs are kind of hard to get elsewhere. It almost feels like hitting a bet. It doesn’t always happen, and it’s very high-stress and high-anxiety most of the time, but when things click, there’s not much like it.”
Trio
2 W. Main St., Greenfield
7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays
7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays
8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
