Dayton’s first food hall celebrates one-year anniversary

ILLY'S Fire Pizza owner, Robert Gunn pulls out a fresh pizza from the oven. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

ILLY'S Fire Pizza owner, Robert Gunn pulls out a fresh pizza from the oven. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

W. Social Tap and Table, Dayton’s first food hall in the historic Wright Dunbar district, is celebrating its one-year anniversary on Saturday, July 22 from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. with live music and food/drink specials.

“We are just as excited about the Food Hall today as the day it opened,” said Larry Dillin, CEO of Dillin Corp. “We have the original five restaurants, and they continue to grow as partners with us in a fresh business concept in a very deserving neighborhood.”

W. Social Tap & Table, located at 1100 W. Third St. across from the National Aviation Heritage Museum and National Park, is a joint venture between Wright Dunbar Inc. and Dillin Corp.

West Social Tap & Table at 1100 W. Third St. in the Wright Dunbar business district. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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“Bringing food to Wright Dunbar has been a pivotal puzzle piece for the long-term sustainability of the Greater Wright Dunbar Community,” said John Gower, chair of the real estate committee for Wright Dunbar Inc. “The presence of great food experiences in Wright Dunbar is fueling community fellowship and is key to growing the promising future of all of West Dayton.”

The food hall was a $2.5 million investment that transformed a former 6,400-square-foot conference center. According to a W. Social Tap & Table press release, it has helped spur additional development of residential townhomes, restaurants, offices and more.

“Additional restaurants and entertainment options are expected to be announced yet in 2023 as the Wright Dunbar Neighborhood is rediscovered as a gem in the Gem City,” the release stated.

W. Social Tap & Table has a variety of tenants featuring different cuisines, including De’Lish, The Lumpia Queen, SOCA, ILLYS Fire Pizza and Taco Street Co. All five vendors started out as a food truck or had a previous location in the Dayton area and wanted to expand their brand by opening a site at the food hall.

“While our food truck continues to be popular in and around the area, W. Social has quickly become home base of operations for us and has provided us with a bigger reach to introduce lumpia to even more of the community,” said Catherine Roberts, owner of Lumpia Queen. “It’s great to be a part of something so different and so important to the community. We are really hitting our stride and working to constantly offer more people the opportunity to try and fall in love with our food.”

Catherine Roberts, owner of Lumpia Queen, makes lumpias which are Filipino spring rolls at her restaurant at W. Social Tap and Table. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: Jim Noelker

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Credit: Jim Noelker

“I’m grateful that God brought me to this space. It feels good to connect with a lot of my older customers and establish new customers as well,” said Jasmine Brown, owner of De’Lish. “The Social really is like your neighborhood ‘Cheers’ — you’re sure to see familiar faces and that’s one thing I love about it. It’s such a great concept for the West side of Dayton.”

Jasmine Brown is the owner of De'Lish, the home of Cajun, creole and comfort food inside W. Social Tap and Table. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: Jim Noelker

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Credit: Jim Noelker

In addition to its five tenants, W. Social Tap and Table features a bar at the center of the food hall. From tequila and bourbon tastings to weekly happy hours and events like Ladies Night Monday featuring karaoke, MidWeek Vibes: Live Music Wednesdays, Throwback Thursdays, and Reggae Roots Fridays, the food hall has become a staple in the Wright Dunbar district.

W. Social Tap & Table is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit www.westsocialtapandtable.com or the food hall’s Facebook page.

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