FAIRFIELD — A popular farm-to-table restaurant and associated wine and cheese shop that closed in January will reopen June 21 under a new model. Meridians Kitchen & Bar at 166 Main St. downtown has been renamed Meridians: The Bar, and its shop, which formerly was across the street in the Gerald Hotel, will be located in the restaurant building itself in what used to be the lounge.
Instead of an appetizer-entrée-dessert model, Meridians will offer an expansive version of “boards,” including a charcuterie board, pickled vegetables board, cheese and fruit board, cured seafood board, grilled board, fried board and dessert board, according to owner David Gulak. “People can come in, get some food to share,” Gulak said Tuesday. “There are still lots of choices, but it’s more informal.
” Meridians will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.
m. Fridays and Saturdays at first, as the business tests out the new model to see who comes and when, and what they want, according to Gulak. The restaurant opened in 2019 .
Gulak decided to close in late January to pause and reflect during a time when the restaurant industry was upended by the pandemic. Restauranteurs faced staff shortages and high costs and had to figure new ways to operate and be sustainable, he said, and many eateries experienced high stress, low profits and long hours. Now, restaurants are testing new models as the labor market continues to be tight and costs for everything have increased, said Gulak, who owns the building i.