9 Tables: Fine Dining the likes of which Athens has never seen

Approaching a modest white building on North Shafer St. in Athens, Ohio is one of the top 250 gourmet restaurants in the United States according to urbanspoon.com. Welcome to 9 Tables. Enter through the draped doors into a room with only nine tables, hence the name, elegantly set with fine china and candles galore. Look to the left and owner and head chef, Bill Justice will be busy chopping away preparing one of his delicacies in the open kitchen for all customers to view.

9 Tables is a dream come true for Justice who owns and runs the small restaurant with his wife, Suzanne and Mother-in-law, Sandy Colopy. “I get to do exactly what I love to do and I get to spend time with my kids,” says Justice who quit his job as a food scientist at a half a billion dollar a year company to open his dream restaurant. He and his wife decided to make some lifestyle changes so that Justice could be a larger part of his children’s lives, Masy (11-months), Sophia (9-years) and Isabella (9-years). “I have not missed a day of my kids’ lives since Dec. 16,” says Justice.

Just how well a gourmet restaurant of this caliber would do in one of the poorest counties in Ohio was still up in the air, but it was a leap that Justice was willing to take. Spending much of his life in college towns, he understood the diverse income level that often exists in these areas but he decided that there was enough of a market for his product even in the middle of Appalachia. He and his wife, Suzanne, ate at many of the other up-scale restaurants in Athens such as Stephens, Zoe and Cutlers and ordered four courses without drinks. On average, their total per person was usually around $75, which is how they came to their price. Justice says, “we double the courses and say that’s a great deal, and the people that know what we’re doing realize it’s a value.”

And what a value it is. Since opening in January of 2012, 9 Tables has doubled its business every month. Their first night was a family and friends night where they packed the house with 36 guests who enjoyed the seven course meal for free as a sort of test run to make sure that even when things were completely packed, Justice and his wife and mother-in-law could handle it. “36 people to kind of test out and see is my grill going to catch fire? Is everything going do work when we’re really hopping? Is my mother-in-law going to go cry in the corner because she’s never served before? Is my wife going to hit somebody with something? And it went fairly well,” says Justice. The next night they had six paying customers and they’ve relied on word of mouth ever since to get people to head their way.

That is exactly how Cameron Scheetz, Ohio University Senior found out about 9 Tables. He heard through a friend at work about how delicious the food was and although $75 is a steep price for a college student budget, his friend said it was well worth every penny. “The restaurant and it’s staff were so warm and welcoming that it almost felt like eating at home with my family. The only difference is that my mom is nowhere near the culinary genius of Chef Justice. That man is a food wizard, “ said Scheetz.

Scheetz is not alone, out of 24 diner reviews on urbanspoon.com, only one was negative. 9 Tables depends on the positive reviews of its patrons to ensure that they keep coming back as well as to gain new customers. “It’s incredible and it’s a testament to how vocal the people are who come here and experience it are. We have not courted any attention at all. You’ve never heard an ad from us because we don’t do it. I’m just quiet, I do my thing and people tell their friends,” says Justice.

People tend to keep talking about their time at 9 Tables because it really is an experience unlike any other, especially unlike any other in Athens, Ohio. No one sits and devotes hours and hours to dinner in America, which is why Justice talks about how his restaurant is based off of a very European outlook. He came up with the idea to make such an extended dinner because it really allows his customers to connect with whomever they chose to bring whether that be a husband, brother, girlfriend or mother. He and his wife experienced this many times. When they would try to go on a typical date like dinner and a movie Justice felt like they were constantly rushing from one thing to the next and never had even a moment to find out about each others day. So, he began cooking long drawn out meals for them at home as opposed to going out and this is what he wanted to bring to his restaurant.

Justice is also very concerned with presentation. He loves the aesthetic aspects of the culinary arts. “I plan our menu on what I can present to someone that will look really cool,” says Justice. Each course presents a new color scheme to the customer. The 9 Tables experience not only awakes the sense of taste, but makes visual appeals as well.

Justice has created a very unique experience in the middle of a small college town in Appalachia. His dream continues to become much more than he ever could have hoped for and old patrons and new customers alike continue to be impressed by his creation.

For a look inside 9 Tables, check out my slideshow by clicking on the image to the right.