Blind Pig Monticello plans May 3 opening

     A new restaurant/bar in downtown Monticello is set to open and welcome the community in on Wednesday, May 3.

   The opening of Blind Pig Monticello has been much anticipated. Over the course of a year, the community has watched renovations take shape inside and out as the two-story establishment.

   In July 2022, owners Ryan and Megan Evans purchased the building, which used to house The Jitney. A month later, major renovations started.

   The couple owns four additional restaurants/bars in Linn County, including The Bling Pig in Cedar Rapids.

   With friends in the Monticello community, Ryan said they were clued into the idea after their friends informed them the building was for sale.

   “They talked us into it,” he joked.

   Actually, taking this project on was Megan’s dream.

   “She wanted to do it,” credited Ryan. “This allows her to strut her stuff.”

   “Ryan started the ball rolling and I’m excited to finish it,” added Megan. “It’s like the perfect storm came together.”

   Blind Pig will host its soft opening this weekend, April 28 and 29. This event is invite-only to give their staff some practice before the official opening May 3 at 11 a.m.

   They hired 20 employees, with five current staff members from their Linn County establishments transferring to work in Monticello. This also includes a kitchen manager who is being trained right now in Cedar Rapids.

   “Everyone is excited, and our staff from Cedar Rapids are excited to help us out,” Megan shared. “They volunteered to come here to train our staff.”

   The biggest change people will notice when walking into Blind Pig is the elimination of the patio seating area and the addition of a staircase inside that leads to second-story seating options.

   Ryan said adding more seating brought the numbers from around 75 to about 120.

   “Not a lot of places have upstairs seating,” Megan said of their vision for the place. “The building itself was our inspiration.”

   “It’s a nice place,” added Ryan.

   Throughout the construction process, people would take a look inside as they walked past the building, curious as to what the final product would look like.

   “We can tell this is a close-knit community,” Megan said of the warm welcome they’ve already received before their opening.

   When construction came to a close in February, much of the work that remained was cosmetic, adding unique touches to the walls and restrooms.

   Speaking of restrooms, not only were the men and women’s restrooms on the main level redone, but a unisex restroom was added upstairs, as was office space and cold storage.

   Blind Pig will feature burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, and salads. They expanded the number of beers on tap, too, serving both domestic and craft beers. They also have a separate cocktail and flavored Moscow Mule menu.

   “Our menu here is about 80 percent the same (as Blind Pig Cedar Rapids,” said Ryan.

   “It’s a smaller menu because we have a smaller space (in the kitchen),” added Megan. “But we’ll have a full bar.”

   One thing they wanted to offer were desserts. So, they chose to partner with Country Cottage Sweets of Monticello to have a weekly featured dessert.

   Ryan added that the Galena Brewing Company is also working on an exclusive Blind Pig beer to offer to their customers locally.

   Some might ask where the phrase “blind pig” comes from… Megan explained it started during the prohibition era as a location where people could illegally drink alcohol without being spotted by law enforcement. As you walk into Blind Pig Monticello, you’ll see a floor-to-ceiling shelf behind the bar slowly filling up with pig memorabilia.

   “Over the years, our customers would just bring us pig stuff,” laughed Megan. “That turned into a fan-base situation and we still hold on to that theme.”

   As the opening date fast approaches, Megan admitted it’s “terrifying” as they train the staff and work to get all of the details ironed out.

   “We wouldn’t be here if the people of this town didn’t care about the town’s success,” she said. “We’re excited to get to know people and to do what we can to help the town grow.”

   “We hope people love us and this place just as much as we love it,” added Ryan.

   Their hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

   The Blind Pig Monticello is located at 126 E. First St.