Rick & Lauren Weaver
The French Market & Tavern
*As of 2018, The French Market & Tavern was acquired by new ownership. Learn about it’s founders below:
- Where are each of you from originally?
Lauren grew up in Riverdale and has lived in Henry County for 20 years. Rick was born and raised in New Orleans and has been in Georgia for 20 Years. - Before being restaurant owners, what were you in a former life?
Lauren was a Realtor in Henry County for 18 years before embarking on this adventure. Rick is a technical sales engineer for a software company and helps out at the restaurant on weekends. - What was your history with the restaurant industry prior to opening the French Market?
Lauren had no restaurant experience, apart from being a server at Longhorn while at UGA and Rick had some pizzeria management experience from college. - Tell us how you came to own the Gardner Hardware store and why you decided to transform it into a restaurant/boutique.
Lauren had her eye on the building for some time. She felt like it could be transformed into something magnificent. It had great bones. The price was right, but there wasn’t much going on in Downtown Locust Grove in 2010. The location had 21,000 cars pass in front of it daily, we knew we could do something with those numbers and our passion. - Why did you pick this building and Locust Grove?
It had the feel we were looking for. Old wood, old brick, mosaic Gardner tiles on the entry. It’s very difficult to build that kind of character. The building drove the concept. We could see the vision. - What do you know about the history of the building?
The building was built in 1902 and used to have an angled corner. (We found an angled curb when we dug out the old floor).We re-purposed the original 1902 Heart of Pine floor to put on our walls. The Gardner family shared a story about their grandfather chasing a robber and tripping over something and blasting a hole in the floor, which is now on our walls! Many members of the Gardner family have been in, and they are deeply appreciative at the love we have poured into their family building for so many years.Rick is from a long line of Cajun/Creole chefs and grew up cooking and is a master entertainer. Lauren loves to bake, design, and decorate. We really just brought together both of our passions.
- What steps were taken to preserve the history of the building?
We restored every inch of the building. Structure, electrical, plumbing, sprinklers, vent hood, you name it. We ripped up the heart of pine floors (which were in very poor shape) and re-purposed them to build our tables, cover our walls and ceilings, build our sliding barn doors as well as to create a gorgeous 14 foot farm table with the former floor joists. The brick courtyard fireplace and columns are reclaimed from a mill in Athens, and our façade beams were from the Old Crow distillery, provided by Authentic Pine Floors of Locust Grove. - How long was the renovation process?
The renovations took 6 months with no days off! - What was the timeline of when you first saw the building, purchased it, started renovations and then opened your doors.
December 2010 – Closed on the building
January 1, 2011 – Began demo of interior building and awning.
June 1, 2011 – Opened for business
Feb 2014 – Opened our courtyard event room (formerly the Elkins grocery)
June 1, 2016 – 5 year anniversary! - What are some of the stories you hear(d) from patrons, who were also patrons of the Gardner Hardware Store?
Folks tell us all the time, [that] this is where they bought their first bicycle, put their first dress on layaway or bought a car…very cool stuff.From stories we’ve heard it sounds like a lot of folks used to listen to the Gardner’s play music upstairs from down the street where the Mayor’s Park is now. - How did you decide on the name “The French Market & Tavern?”
With Lauren’s retail shop a pivotal piece of the concept, we knew we wanted “Market” in there. We storyboarded for 3 or 4 hours over some wine, and both gravitated towards “The French Market & Tavern” as a nod to Rick’s New Orleans heritage. The French Market in New Orleans has always been a place to eat great food, drink (and be merry) and shop for gear or provisions.Folks tell us all the time, [that] this is where they bought their first bicycle, put their first dress on layaway or bought a car…very cool stuff.
- How would you describe The French Market & Tavern and its menu?
New Orleans meets the South – We’ve got daily New Orleans staples like Red Beans & Rice, Crawfish Etouffee, Chicken & Andouille Creole Gumbo, Poboys, and great lunch salads and sandwiches. Our lunches are fun. The dinner menu gets a touch more sophisticated, but still upscale casual with items like great steaks, fresh seafood, Catfish Roulades, Chicken Cordon-bleu, Blackened Redfish, amazing pasta dishes and desserts to die for. We are a 100% scratch kitchen. No boil in the bag here. Our Sunday brunch menu is fantastic. - How does the menu reflect both of your heritages?
Rick is from a long line of Cajun/Creole chefs and grew up cooking and is a master entertainer. Lauren loves to bake, design, and decorate. We really just brought together both of our passions. - What are each of your favorite parts of owning/running the FMT?
Lauren runs day to day operations with our General Manager. Our favorite time wouldhave to be when we have a crowded night and our crew executes flawlessly. When the restaurant is humming, it’s really fun to watch. The expo window is where the food leaves the kitchen and is garnished and sent quickly to the table. We have folks that line up at the bar to watch our kitchen in action. It takes true skill to feed 500 people at dinner flawlessly in a 21 x 17 foot kitchen. Rick’s favorite thing is chatting with customers, sampling Bourbons, collaborating on the menu and keeping us up and operational from a systems perspective. - What do you think sets the French Market apart for other restaurants of its kind?
I feel like we focus equally on all three phases of the restaurant business.Every corner of the building has interesting, thoughtful details. Lauren’s shop is ever changing, as does the décor from the shop used on the walls of the dining room. Our food has always been the thing that brings folks back. We’ve always strived to bring a Buckhead quality food and service experience to Henry County. We’ve got flexible event rooms that can accommodate private events up to 100 plated. Our bar and bakery round out the experience. Our goal is to appeal to all of the senses and to leave a lasting effect on our customers. As they say in New Orleans – Laissez les bon temps roulez