Grand opening of The Downtowner in Gulfport fast approaching; owner shares details
GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV) — The Downtowner, a new breakfast and lunch restaurant in Gulfport is set to open it’s doors on Tuesday, June 9.
While owner Robert St. John operates several restaurants in Mississippi, this is his first venture on the Coast. We spoke with him to learn more about the homestyle cafe ahead of its grand opening.
It’s an opening the Gulfport community has long anticipated — a new restaurant taking over the historic Triplett-Day.
“It was my goal to open the most Gulfport restaurant ever in Gulfport,” said St. John.
The Downtowner is set to officially open for business on the corner of 14th Street and Highway 49. St. John says the project has been a long time coming. Now, with preparations complete, the restaurant is ready to welcome its first customers.
“We’re in that historic Triplett-Day building that so many people have so many fond memories of. It was such a part of Gulfport’s downtown culture that we really wanted to respect that, and I believe we did,” he said. “There are actually over 1,000 images of Gulfport, and the history of Gulfport. It’s just a community cafe where everybody is welcome, and everybody can eat — young, old, black, white, rich, poor. Doesn’t matter. We want the entire community in there.”
St. John says the cafe’s menu is inspired by his family and their recipes, calling it “heritage cuisine.”
“Just good, real breakfast. We’ve got awesome pancakes. I think we make the best biscuit in Mississippi,” said St. John. “And then at lunch it’s fried chicken, like my grandmother did. It’s very personal to me, but I think its gonna be very personal to everyone. It’s gonna be very familiar. Its the food of the south. It’s the food we grew up eating that you really don’t get a lot of anymore. There are not a lot of places carrying the torch for our heritage cuisine.”
St. John opened The Downtowner out of his love for the Gulf Coast and his vision for bringing more outstanding restaurant options to Gulfport.
“I love Gulfport. I always had an affinity for the Gulf Coast. Gulfport is a little underserved restaurant-wise. I think Ocean Springs is packed, and Bay St. Louis is packed,” he said. “We’re just really fired up. We’re committed to doing several things down there. This is the first of several, so we’re excited about the coast.”
