With hometown restaurant, Chelsea couple’s ‘pipe dream’ comes true

Nearly 10 years after opening their first restaurant in Montevallo, Jeff and Misty Webster are opening a second one a little closer to home.

“Everyone has that pipe dream of opening their own restaurant, so Chelsea has always been in the back of our mind for the location of a restaurant. Of course Montevallo served us a little better when we opened our first restaurant,” said Chelsea resident Jeff Webster, who also owns Main Street Tavern in Montevallo.

The restaurant — to be named Station 31 — is set to open in the old Chelsea Fire Station on Chesser Drive. Coming up with the name, Webster said, was easy.

“It was the same thing as when we walked into our last location. It gave you the name — it wasn’t a question,” he said. “Our partners and I walked into this building to do the initial walk around, and there was an old hand-painted Station 31 crest on the wall. … It said, ‘Hey this is the name.’ It was one of those things.”

Station 31 will have a feel like Main Street Tavern, Webster said, meaning families will feel welcome straight from the ballpark and couples will be able to enjoy a nice date night. The menu will include a variety of items, from burgers to hand-cut steaks and pastas that are made to order. 

And while the restaurant is named based on the building’s history, Webster said the look will not necessarily include axes, a fireman’s pole or other “firehouse decor.”

“What we’re not is we’re not a flashy corporate restaurant that’s going to wow you with decor,” Webster said. “We want you to feel comfortable, we want you to come there for the food and the atmosphere.”

The look and feel of the restaurant will still pay homage to the building’s history, Webster said, and they want people to realize they are in an old fire station that was important for the city’s history.

But as a chef by trade, Webster said food will definitely be the center of the restaurant. 

“We are a food-driven restaurant,” he said, adding they will have occasional specials of items such as shrimp and grits, scallops or other fare. 

Since announcing the restaurant, Webster said feedback from the community has been positive. “The buzz in Chelsea, they’re excited. They want something. We are so, so fortunate for that,” he said.

They’re also excited to open closer to home, Webster said, and he wants customers to know that when they come to Station 31, their money is staying in Shelby County.

“This is as homegrown as it gets. I’m very thankful for that, but it’s good for the community as a whole because it’s a cycle,” he said.

The restaurant is set to open sometime in fall 2018, Webster said, although that date might change depending on the inspections and permitting process. 

While business hours were not set as of 280 Living’s press time, Webster said the restaurant will definitely be closed on Sunday, and hours would be similar to those of Main Street Tavern, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from around 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.