A grand opening/ribbon cutting was held for EATERY 52 in Ripley on Friday, April 7.
A grand opening/ribbon cutting was held for Ripley’s newest restaurant on Friday, April 7.
EATERY 52 owner Charlotte Bishop and her staff welcomed the crowd to Friday’s grand opening, a crowd that included members of the Ripley Police Department, the Ripley Life Squad, and village council member Charles Poole.
The grand opening/ribbon cutting was hosted by the Ripley Rise organization.
Charlotte Bishop and husband Chris Bishop arrived in the area when purchasing the Antique Bar and Grill in the village of Higginsport in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We took a chance in the middle of COVID (and) bought a bar, which didn’t make much sense to do at the time. We’ve done way better than we ever expected,” Charlotte Bishop explained.
After enjoying a great deal of success with their bar in Higginsport, they decided to open the restaurant in Ripley.
“We’ve met so many great people out here, and it feels more like home than where we grew up, honestly,” Charlotte Bishop said during the April 7 grand opening of EATERY 52. “So, we were provided this opportunity. We’ve worked our butts off for the past…I don’t even know how many months. We’ve built an amazing team that’s been with us for the past month – training, working doing whatever needed to be done – and here we are today.”
They began their remodel of the space on US 52 (South Second Street), located next to the Union Township Public Library in Ripley, in late 2022 with the goal of opening in April of this year, which they were able to accomplish.
“It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, and we definitely appreciate your investment in this community,” said Village of Ripley Council Member and Vice Mayor Charles Poole during the April 7 ribbon cutting ceremony.
Chris Bishop has years of culinary education, expertise, and experience. EATERY 52 will source their meat locally as well as many other ingredients and products available from local sources.
The tradition continues with the opening of EATERY 52 in the historic village of Ripley.
EATERY 52 is located on the Ohio River Scenic Byway just one block off the Ohio River, location that has been a restaurant since 1942, with the exception of the last couple of years while it was vacant.
It was built in 1941 as a full-service Mobil gas station with six bedrooms with showers for truck drivers and other amenities. The gas station was moved to a new location in 1984 which allowed for much of the space on the first floor to be added to the restaurant space.
For complete information check out their Facebook page EATERY 52.