Main Street Social restaurant closes in Monroe

Main Street Social restaurant in Monroe has closed after a year in business.

The restaurant at 214 South Main St. carried out a one-year anniversary celebration late last month as planned, but also posted a Facebook message two days prior to its Jan. 30 closing that the celebration would be its last hurrah.

“It’s been a great year for us, but we just haven’t got the local support needed to continue,” reads the post. “I’m very aware that we haven’t done everything right, but that’s what comes (with) a locally owed place the first run.”

Attempts to reach owner James Bailey were unsuccessful Monday.

Announcement of the closing garnered numerous sympathetic messages from customers who said they were saddened by the decision.

“Every meal from your establishment has been nothing less than amazing, and the service was always outstanding,” wrote Erica Hinkle of Monroe.

“We (were) there in the very beginning and had a little trouble with the service but didn’t let that guy stop us from coming back,” wrote Brenda Keeton, of Monroe. “We came back a few times as recent as last week and enjoyed the food a lot and the service had gotten a lot better.”

But others, like Melissa Murphy-Weisemanm of Monroe, wrote that she gave the business a chance but didn’t return after two negative experiences there.

“It’s always easier to point the finger at the community for lack of support,” she wrote. “Sometimes the answer is staring back at you in the mirror.”

Main Street Social opened less than a year after the closing of The Red Onion. That business opened in 2006 at the now-more-than-160-year-old building that was once a stop on the stagecoach line between Cincinnati and Dayton but closed in May 2014, with its owner citing declining business and declining health issues.

The restaurant opened several times after its official closing for drinks and appetizers and to sell off items from its inventory.

Bailey wrote on the restaurant’s Facebook page that customers who showed their support in the restaurant’s final days had “no idea” how much that meant to both him and his staff.

“I definitely walked away from last night with doubts,” he said. “So stay tuned to see what might be next.”

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