GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The minds behind Social Misfits are back with another unorthodox dining experience in downtown Grand Rapids called The Foolery, at 10 Ionia Ave. where Wahlburgers used to be.
"You always hear about places closing down, we’re excited to open new places up," said Chris Durso, Social Misfit's and now The Foolery's General Manager.
The restaurant is so new, in fact, they don't even have a logo up outside yet. As Durso explained, this all kind of happened out of nowhere.
“We didn't even start planning on it until we heard of the closing aof Wahlburgers," he said. "As soon as we heard that, we jumped right on it. We just started planning it every day.”
RELATED: Wahlburgers to close Grand Rapids location
FOX 17 reported on Wahlburgers' closing in August. In just six months, we already have its replacement. The idea, Durso said, came together even quicker than that.
“Probably Less than four months," he said. "It’s a little nerve-racking at times, but definitely, we're happy with how it turned out.”
Doing things differently is kind of what The Foolery is all about. Hence the name.
Considering this is another creation from the Social Misfits' ownership group, those two quirky names couldn't just be a coincidence.
"The fact that we can get great service and show you a great time as being a misfit or fool, that's kind of what we go for," Durso said. "So, we want things to be a little funky and a little bit weird."
They don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk.
As soon as you step foot inside, you are met with some wild decor — billiards balls for beer taps, taxidermied raccoons eating snacks and climbing lamps, and so much more.
Basically, if they saw something bizarre at a swap meet or garage sale, they would snatch it up.
“We wanted to have fun and eclectic things on the walls," Durso said. "Everything from the hubcaps that we have here, to the artwork, it was all curated.”
The menu is no different.
The featured items are their Detroit-style deep-dish pizzas, but with a unique twist. Plus their Pasties are already a big hit.
As for the drinks...
"We have really fine craft cocktails," Durso said. "Our menu was curated by Lauren Paylor. She was the winner of Netflix's Drink Masters.”
All of these things come together to create what they call a "fine-dive bar" experience.
"What's a fine dive? It's something comfortable that you go out to eat and have an elevated experience," Durso said.
After The Foolery's soft launch on Monday, the restaurant fully opened for the first time Thursday.
Durso said the goal is to be open, in full, seven days a week at some point.
