'Big shoes to fill': Profile Tavern hopes to become a Freetown institution like The Nephews

FREETOWN — Five months later after popular family restaurant The Nephews closed down, a new restaurant, Profile Tavern, has opened in its spot.

"We have big shoes to fill," said Jay P. Lanagan, co-owner of the newly established eatery named after Freetown's iconic Profile Rock and located at 2 Crossroad Drive.

"The Nephews was an institution in Freetown that generations of people frequently visited," Lanagan added. "It was for celebrations, it was for a Friday nights out... we're kind of hoping to carry on with that tradition."

Aside from the shape of the bar and a few wooden booths, the restaurant's interior has undergone a major facelift, according to Lanagan.

They used reclaimed wood from Gurney Sawmill, sourced stone from Global Marble & Granite in Hyannis, and worked with a local marine upholstery company to redo all the seats.

"We tried to really kind of break out the space," Lanagan said, noting that they added white subway tile, and replaced the televisions and light fixtures.

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Lanagan said they are going for a modern farmhouse look, as opposed to the previous look which was a classic Italian restaurant.

"We were challenged with sort of making it a little bit more contemporary, but also fit in with what we consider kind of like a rural mountain town, which is where we got the Profile Tavern kind of logo and concept," Lanagan said.

What's on the menu

As co-owner of downtown New Bedford restaurants such as Corks Wine and Tapas and Rose Alley Ale House, Lanagan admitted that Profile Tavern has the largest kitchen they've ever worked inside.

"The previous owner did an excellent job in keeping it clean and it flows really nicely, but it's really big from a kitchen perspective," he said.

Lanagan said that although they bought The Nephews building, they did not buy the recipes. So they have to start from scratch with the menu.

"The guys in the kitchen are really getting creative and are really focused on getting it right," Lanagan added. "We want to really provide a quality product."

The menu will include chicken wings with many flavors and rubs, bar pizza, specialty salads as well as prime rib, steak, lasagna and chicken Parmesan. They will also have a kids' menu.

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Lanagan said they have ambitions to do breakfast and brunch eventually on the weekends.

Taking over an iconic spot

As a child, Lanagan spent some time in Freetown hanging with his cousins. He grew up playing pond hockey and running through the woods. "It was sort of an escape, 15 minutes away from the city," he said.

In December 2021, the 26-year-old Italian restaurant announced it was closing its doors after the sudden passing of its owner Ron Stapleton, in October 2021.

"My husband built that place from nothing," said Sandy Stapleton in a previous Standard-Times interview. "He was tough, expected a lot, but people wanted to please him and respected him."

Lanagan said that his co-owner Howie Mallowes approached him and their partners, Pat Long and Al Peters, about buying the restaurant.

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"I had to educate myself a little bit about the location," Lanagan said. "Coincidentally, I knew some of the extended family and we started to communicate."

Heidi Stapleton will serve as the general manager. "She knows everybody and she knew how this place was run," Lanagan said. "And it was run very well."

The Nephews was an institution in the town of Freetown, according to Lanagan. He said that his team is approaching the spot humbly and trying to listen to what people want in return.

They hope it can continue supporting the community as its predecessor did. "We hope it still has a comfortable and inviting atmosphere that people once enjoyed and were used to," added Lanagan.

"We look forward to seeing people come back."

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: East Freetown restaurant Profile Tavern opens at former The Nephews