Bridgett’s Kitchen to open Tuesday in Lexington
Bridgett and Dale Evans stand in the newly completed kitchen at Bridgett’s Kitchen in Lexington, where the menu features a variety of smoked meats and homemade sides dishes. The smoker behind them can cook up to 400 pounds of meat. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
Bridgett’s Kitchen, which has been operating as a takeout business for nearly six months, will open as a full-service, dine-in restaurant Tuesday, Oct. 24.
The new restaurant, which specializes in smoked meats and homemade side dishes, is located at 206 W. Center St., Suite A, in the former Community Drug building in Lexington.
Bridgett and Dale Evans, the couple who own and operate the establishment, had hoped to open the restaurant much sooner but getting a hood vent system installed in the kitchen was delayed as they waited for metal parts.
“That was the largest task we had to face but we also were transforming what had been office space into a restaurant,” Bridgett noted.
She said they had looked at some other spaces that were already set up for restaurants but the buildings were too large. They also liked the high visibility of the location on West Center Street, which is adjacent to the Davidson County Courthouse.
“We wanted a small, hometown feel.” Bridgett explained the dining room seats about 20 and an adjacent dining room, which can be closed off for private parties, seats an additional 30. Four picnic tables outside at the entrance can accommodate at least another 16 people.
Bridgett’s Kitchen had been operating out of the Factory – Coffee & Waffles, which is owned by their close friend Amanda Everson, on the bottom floor of the West Center Street building called Center Street Plaza. Everson’s business is open only for breakfast and lunch so they worked out a shared kitchen arrangement that allowed them to prepare plated dinners for takeout from 4 to 8 p.m.
“If not for doing takeout at the Factory and catering, I don’t know how we would have kept afloat,” Bridgett shared. “It’s definitely been a leap of faith journey.”
The restaurant is a longtime dream the couple shared. Bridgett worked for 23 years at Lexington Style Trimmings before it closed. Dale cooked at Skipper’s Seafood for six years and had a corporate job but has been smoking meats for friends and family, as well as for church fundraisers, for most of his life.
Bridgett and Dale Evans say they want customers to feel like family when they eat in the new restaurant’s dining room. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
“I started out cooking whole hogs when I was growing up in Chatham County,” Dale explained. “I’ve been smoking meat for family and friends and events for six or seven years. It’s just something I love to do. It’s nothing fancy – I just want people to enjoy good food.”
In addition to getting the hood vent system installed, the kitchen has a six-burner stove, griddle and a smoker that can cook up to 400 pounds of meat.
“We have a lot more room and flexibility now,” Dale said, adding most items on the menu will be available daily, except for the barbecued chicken, which will still be offered only on Fridays.
But the smoked brisket, turkey, sausages, meatloaf and ribs, as well as pulled pork, will be regular offerings. Smoked chicken breasts will also be available daily.
With a griddle in the kitchen, they will offer smash burgers and grilled chicken for sandwiches and salads. Sandwiches will include smoked brisket and pulled pork.
Bridgett said the homemade sides will rotate seasonally but include sweet potato casserole, creamed potatoes, roasted potatoes, slaw, potato salad, collards, green beans, baked beans and macaroni and cheese. In the warmer months, pasta salad, a berry salad and fresh fruit salad will be in the rotation. A harvest salad with apples and walnuts is planned for the fall.
A kids’ menu, which is available to customers who want smaller portions, will include hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, chicken strips and mac and cheese.
Having their own space will not only allow them to offer a wider menu but also to serve lunch. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Bridgett’s Kitchen will continue to offer takeout. In fact, the pick-up window for the former pharmacy on the side of the building will be used as a pick-up window for takeout orders. It is not a drive-thru, however; customers need to call in their orders ahead and then pick them up. The telephone number is (336) 590-9759.
The eatery will soon be offering take-home holiday meals. At Thanksgiving, smoked whole turkey breasts and sides will be available and possibly a smoked prime rib at Christmas.
Parking is available at the lot to the side of the restaurant as well as below on the backside of Center Street Plaza where the Factory is located. There are stairs leading to the courtyard where Bridgett’s is located from the lower-level parking lot.
Updates on the restaurant are available through Facebook and Instagram.
