'Going out on top': Longtime owners of Taunton's Home Plate retiring. Who's taking over?
TAUNTON — “We met our goal — to go out on top,” proclaimed Rob Anderson, who, along with his wife Natalie, is saying goodbye to 16 years of owning and managing Home Plate Bay Street Grill and looking forward to enjoying retirement.
The Andersons have sold the popular sports bar, located at 1094 Bay St., to entrepreneur Rick Lowe, who owns several other businesses and eateries under the moniker of Paisano Hospitality Group.
“He carries the same passion for hospitality, community relations and teambuilding as Rob,” Natalie said.
Rob Anderson said he is working with Lowe on a seamless transition in management. He said conditions he has secured include the name and sports theme being retained and the current staff remaining.
“His intention is to maintain what Rob has built,” Natalie said.
Rob anticipates his management of Home Plate to conclude in late February or early March, once all permitting and change of ownership is approved and finalized with the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.
Born into the business
Rob Anderson, who grew up in North Attleboro, has been around the restaurant industry almost his whole life. Growing up, his parents were business owners. His father managed the well known Lafayette House Restaurant in Foxboro for years.
“He introduced me to washing dishes at age 12,” said Rob, who worked seven years, from 1970-1977, at Lafayette, going from dishwasher, to bus boy, to eventually waiter.
Aside from some time studying and taking business courses at Dean College in Franklin, Rob would learn everything about managing through his parents. He eventually would become partners with them.
After selling a nightclub and lounge they owned and managed in North Attleboro, Ando’s, which was Rob’s high school nickname, his parents bought business space in Taunton, which would become a bar and nightclub, The Gathering, which opened in 1982.
Rob would manage The Gathering, as well as move to Taunton that year. He has remained in Taunton ever since.
Finding success
In 1990 a decision was made to rebrand The Gathering. Rob explained they needed to “switch things up” because the rock n’ roll theme of the venue was no longer doing stable business.
“People wanted to buy a drink today and pay me tomorrow,” he joked.
The Gathering would be remodeled with a country western theme and renamed the Rocking Horse Saloon, which Rob managed for the next 10 years.
“Business was very good,” he said, reminiscing about the country line and round dancing that regularly went on, as well as the weekend live entertainment.
Rocking Horse Saloon even won some awards, with Rob recalling winning the award for best country western themed bar in Southern New England for four years straight, from 1996-1999, by the Massachusetts Country Music Awards Association.
“So many people have memories of the Rocking Horse. It was the place to hang out,” said Natalie, recalling people still coming up to her and Rob today reminiscing about it.
Shocking ending with Rocking Horse fire
In 2000, a massive kitchen fire at Rocking Horse burned the building down.
“It was a total loss,” said Rob.
At this point, Rob said his parents wanted to retire and didn’t want to reinvest in rebuilding.
He would spend the next several years working for AT&T as a corporate sales executive.
Getting back into the restaurant business
In 2007, Rob decided to get back into the hospitality business by purchasing the property that would become Home Plate. The property had previously been the well-known Gondola Restaurant, as well as Gillian’s Sport Bar for a brief period after that. He bought the property for $575,000.
The idea of turning the property into a sports bar and pub originated from Rob’s time managing The Gathering. He said that on his day off during the week he would frequent a nearby sports bar and was envious of the business and atmosphere it had.
“It was a full house there,” Rob said.
He said that aside from adding some pool tables to Rocking Horse Saloon, he never had the opportunity to incorporate more sports elements there.
With Home Plate, he said he wanted a “'Cheers'-like atmosphere” that was a “good, fun social environment,” and it paid off.
In 2016, Rob opened a second Home Plate location in Norton.
Rob and Natalie meet
Another milestone in 2007 was Rob and Natalie meeting. The two of them met at a health club that year and started dating.
Home Plate opened in January 2008. Before long Natalie would leave her job as a hospice nurse to go to work with Rob that same year.
They’ve been attached at the hip ever since, eventually marrying in 2013.
“We’ve worked together every day since,” Natalie said, elaborating that she’s done “pretty much everything” there, here and there, over the years, including office manager, human resources, payroll and events coordinator.
“It’s a family business,” said Rob.
Retirement plans
Natalie said retirement plans started about a year ago.
“We felt we had achieved our goals,” she said.
They had already sold their Norton location three years ago because, Rob said, they were looking to downsize their responsibilities. It's now known as Goat City Pub.
For the Taunton business, they contacted a restaurant broker, looking for someone reputable to purchase Home Plate and “be willing to carry on the culture,” said Natalie. The Andersons found new owner Rick Lowe.
On why choosing now to retire, Rob said they wanted this time “while we are still healthy and active enough” to take enjoy retirement.
This includes travelling, more hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where their second home is, and spending more time with the five children and six grandchildren they have between them.
Natalie said “so many sacrifices were made over the years” when it comes to lost time with family, and she and Rob are worried “waiting anymore will bring regret.”
Legacy of loyalty
Something that gives Rob a sense of pride is knowing both the love and support Home Plate has received from the community over the years, and the loyalty he’s received and reciprocated back to staff.
He recalls one staff member recently retiring who was “here since the beginning.” Other staff members have been with Home Plate for a long time, as well, ranging from 12 years to 15 years.
“I ran Home Plate like a family,” Rob said.
Said Natalie: “They’ve worked very hard for us, and, in exchange, we’ve worked very hard for them.”
Rob adds he’s been overwhelmed by the amount of support he and Natalie have received from patrons, staff and even former staff.
“Everyone who came and gone has been important. People have come back to visit, and it’s been heartwarming,” Rob said.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Popular Taunton sports pub Home Plate has new owner. What to know
