The McDonald family has built a 50-year legacy of serving food to hungry patrons at the corner of Willard and Robertson streets through their entrepreneurial spirit and endless dedication to improvement.
Common Market Restaurant Group's latest achievement is the completion of Ballast Kitchen & Bar.
The space, formerly the Charterhouse, was brought back to life this spring after the final phase of a two-year renovation plan was completed.
Owner Greg McDonald, of Milton, said Ballast's space is bright and airy with room to seat about 70 people.
“Right now we're fully open. We're open for lunch, brunch and dinner,” McDonald said, sitting inside the recently completely renovated restaurant.
The Common Market Group has three completely different restaurants and an upstairs function room all under one roof.
Across Willard Street, a local group also operates Common Market, a fast-casual food hall with about 100 seats that's known for its takeout meals.
McDonald said his parents started the first restaurant on the corner almost 50 years ago and he grew up in the industry and was surrounded by entrepreneurial spirit.
“We're part of the community, that's for sure,” he said, noting the site is just metres from the Milton boundary line.
“The history of this building is that in the 1980s we were our first foray into tablecloth dining. It was previously located on the second and first floors,” he said.
As a traditional space, the Charterhouse has been closed during COVID-19 restrictions and he knew it would need to be refreshed before reopening.
“We had been talking about refreshing the space with a new menu, a new concept,” he said. “As COVID-19 dragged on, we kept putting it off. I couldn't even afford french fries, let alone a two-by-four. I wasn't going to stick a needle in my eye.”
He said his son Shane, the eldest of his four children, joined the company along with his high school friend, Brian Curley, also from Milton.
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