The Lime Tree Grows Under New Owners

WARREN, Ohio – A little more than two years ago, Travis Taylor was working for his boss as the executive chef at The Lime Tree Sandwich Gallery in downtown Warren. Now, he works for himself as co-owner and executive chef of The Lime Tree.

The opportunity to buy The Lime Tree came about when Taylor’s boss said he wanted to sell it. Taylor, who grew up working in the food industry, seized the moment.

“You can’t wait for the perfect time because it will never happen,” he says. “If the opportunity is there, you have to take it.”

Taylor is 32 and works alongside co-owner Kristin McLennan, who is 31.

“It happened very quickly,” McLennan said about buying the business. “It was an opportunity that came along that was too good to pass up.”

The restaurant serves sandwiches and salads and has a bar with wine, cocktails and six craft beers on tap. “We have things that nobody else has,” McLennan notes. “Taylor has interesting flavor combos.”

The walls of the restaurant are decorated with works from local artists. Near the entrance is a large mural of the tea party from Alice in Wonderland.

The owners research the food and beverages they want to serve by reading books on food, visiting restaurants outside the Valley to taste what’s listed on their menus and talk to the owners to learn how they run their restaurants, she says.

McLennan had tended bar before taking over operations at The Lime Tree, which used to serve a limited selection of alcoholic drinks, but has since expanded.

“We try to make really good food and make everyone happy,” Taylor says.

“It’s nice to look out here on a busy night and recognize some faces. It inspires confidence because you know they like your place enough that they keep coming back,” McLennan says.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.