One in Williston reopens, another in Stowe closes

A Mexican restaurant that moved into a renowned space on the Mountain Road in Stowe announced its closure this week, while a Williston eatery that shut down temporarily this summer is making plans to reopen.

Tres Amigos, which occupied the space housing the Rusty Nail entertainment venue in Stowe, revealed on social media Tuesday that it has closed. Chad Fry and Mark Frier, owners of The Reservoir restaurant in Waterbury and The Bench restaurant just down the Mountain Road from the old Rusty Nail location, opened Tres Amigos in September 2017.

“As many have already heard, our last night of service was last Friday (10/29). Our restaurant has closed its doors permanently,” Tres Amigos announced on Facebook and Instagram. “We wanted to thank our incredibly hard-working staff (almost all of whom we were able to rehire down the street) as well as the community of Stowe for taking us this far. The decision wasn’t easy and there were many factors that contributed. Adios muchachos!”

The Rusty Nail for a couple of decades hosted touring bands and local acts playing primarily for apres-ski crowds descending from Stowe Mountain Resort. Fry and Frier truncated the barn-like stage while continuing to offer music, and added the Mexican restaurant they hoped would draw patrons not just in ski season.

Honey Road, Lion Turtle Tea:One renowned Burlington restaurant reopens, a newer one closes permanently

“We thought we could bring something to the community that was viable year-round,” Fry told the Burlington Free Press in early 2018. That, of course, was before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in March 2020, shutting down restaurants for months and leading to worker shortages and high supply prices still affecting restaurants today.

The Scale reopens in Williston

The aftereffects of the pandemic’s arrival reached The Scale poke bar in Williston, which announced a temporary closure this summer. The newer restaurant in Essex Junction, which like its compatriot offers raw-fish bowls and ramen, remained open during the Williston hiatus.

“The Scale is facing staffing shortages, increased food costs and most recently, inconsistency in the availability of product due to unreliable deliveries from vendors facing the same shortages,” according to an August social-media post by owners Perry and Neil Farr. “Taking all of this into consideration, we were faced with the choice of either running two restaurants with limited capabilities, or running one restaurant at the level of quality you have come to expect from us. We have chosen the latter.”