Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with husband-and-wife Tim Bolt and Mary Schleuter at their new restaurant, The Haven Social in Landenberg. Owners of Great Big Jerk & Full Circle Food, Tim and Mary have brought their ample restaurant experience to The Haven Social and given it a diverse menu of great food and mocktails and a cool-vibe ambience. I sidled up to the restaurant’s well-appointed bar to ask Tim and Mary about the inspiration behind their ambitious and well received BYOB restaurant.

Landenberg Life: How did the two of you meet?

Mary: We both worked in the restaurant business. We worked at two different restaurants in the same group and ran in the same circle of friends. We met back up down the road a couple years later at a different restaurant group and started dating in 2013.

You both have extensive backgrounds and experience in the restaurant industry. What brought you to Landenberg?

Mary: I was born here and Tim started our meal delivery business, Full Circle Food here. The business started out of our home kitchen, and I ended up “evicting” him with some notice because my clothes were starting to smell like a restaurant’s kitchen. We were at a birthday party at our current location for my friend, and at the time we were looking to find a commissary kitchen, so my friend gave us a tour and we said, “This is perfect!”

We got the owner’s number, and even though there was work that needed to be done, Tim set out on a mission to get the place ready for operation. One year into Full Circle Food we started renovating the unused dining area into an event space until COVID-19 shut that part down. Full Circle remained open during the Pandemic and Tim opened Great Big Jerk, a roadside BBQ operation because many restaurants had to close their doors. It flourished and has since found its own location!

When did The Haven Social officially open?

Mary: We officially opened before Thanksgiving. Tim and I were talking late one night before bed about a crazy idea to quickly transform the space into a full-blown BYOB restaurant. A week later Tim had built a website, ordered furniture and full steam ahead to open. A week later we were ready. Guests at The Haven Social have many options from raw bar – such as yellowfin tuna tartare and oysters -- to oven-baked flatbreads to small and large plates.

Tell me about the inspiration behind your menu.

Tim: I am inspired by the East Coast. I was born in Virginia and went to school at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. along the Hudson, and all throughout, I’ve always loved seafood. Years ago, I was the Sous Chef at Deep Blue, an upscale seafood restaurant downtown and then as the Chef behind the opening of an oyster house in Wilmington, I fell deeper in love with the casual seafood concept. I really wanted to add the raw bar aspect in my own location as well as my seafood favorites like lobster rolls and mussel pots, which are on the menu at The Haven Social.

By the way, your lobster roll is delicious, and it compliments your entire menu, which is eclectic but not fussy. Talk about the approach you wished to take with The Haven Social’s menu.

Tim: I wanted The Haven Social to showcase approachable food in a fun, social atmosphere. That’s the whole point of this – great ingredients, proper cooking techniques and hangout vibes. For those in Landenberg who read this article, the feeling of being at The Haven Social is the feeling of being on vacation without traveling far from home.

It feels like the lobby of a big-city hotel – as if you’re having a drink and a bite to eat at the cool bar area before heading up to your room.

Mary: That’s the vibe we were aiming for – transporting you out of Landenberg for the evening without having to actually leave Landenberg.

Tim: When we opened Great Big Jerk here during the pandemic, we had a pickup window inside our event space, and customers were requesting to eat their meals inside, so we put butcher paper on the tables and welcomed them to enjoy their meals in the event space. It was disjointed from the start and was never meant to actually stay Great Big Jerk. I was always shifting things around for a farm-to-table event, or a baby shower, but inevitably, and from the start, we had always envisioned being full service with swanky décor and the chill vibe ambience we have now.

So you were able to create the atmosphere from the start?

Mary: Yes. The event space was the foundation, but we have definitely fine-tuned it. The green couches were originally for the lobby of the event space- but now are the focal point of our lounge style seating areas. We love having a fire burning outside the front door. Each little piece of our ambience are personal touches we enjoy when we dine out. At some point it would be really cool to have our own curated line of scents/candles that align with our concept.

One of the first sensations I felt when I walked in was the delicious scent of orange. What made you focus on a particular scent?

Mary: We wanted to elevate the space and create a more upscale environment.

Tim: The truth is that Mary was tired of the place smelling like jerk chicken all the time! Mary: That’s so true. I would have to “sage” everything in the dining area in preparation for an event because we wanted the ambience to be its own.

I love your zero proof mocktail menu. I’m surprised I haven’t seen more restaurants adopt the BYOB-mocktail culture that you have here at The Haven Social.

Mary: We really enjoy doing that and put thought into the mocktails and atmosphere. We created a sort of BYOB with a twist! We have always allowed BYOB in the past with the space, but we decided to take it to the next level and make amazing mocktails with the new concept. A liquor license in this state was one of the hurdles to face but we knew that it had to feel like a full-blown restaurant. It was a huge gamble doing the BYOB that many do not take but our thought was if the food is amazing and the ambience is unique, they will come, alcohol or not, and they have certainly come, and it’s been amazing.

So explain how your mocktail menu works. Guests have the option of enjoying a mocktail, or they can bring their own liquor and spirits, and check the menu to see what pairs with what?

Mary: Yes. You bring your own, and we have everything here to make what you’re looking for. Bring a six pack of beer, a bottle of wine or a bottle of booze. We place jiggers on the table and offer our recommendations to our guests on how much alcohol to add to our mocktails. They stir them up and enjoy. We are all professional bartenders with a fully stocked bar ranging from different bitters, ice spheres, mixers and Amarena cherries. Whatever you could order from a regular restaurant’s bar we are able to mix up here. All you need is your booze!

The Haven Social is located at 1215 New London Road in Landenberg and is currently open Thursdays through Sundays. To learn more and to make reservations, visit www.thehavensocial.com or call (484) 720-8552.