The restaurant was closed while Phoenix Restaurant Group, the new manager’s, obtained the necessary permits to serve food and acquired the proper food stock needed to meet the demands of the Golden Lamb’s customers, Miller said. The Golden Lamb will remain closed for dinner operations while Phoenix conducts a refurbishment of the building’s interior and revamps the dinner menu, Miller said. Dinner service is expected to resume in late spring or early summer, according to Miller.
Phoenix Restaurant Group, which operates the popular First Watch Restaurant chain, was named the new operators of the Golden Lamb last week. The company also manages the National Exemplar Restaurant in the Mariemont Inn and the Phoenix in downtown Cincinnati.
The changeover was deemed necessary because the previous operators, G.L. Hospitality, had failed to meet their financial obligations to the building owners and were not meeting the high standards the community expected, according the Wym Portman, whose family owns the building.
Ken Pendery, principal of Phoenix Restaurant Group, announced he was initiating “an aggressive revitalization plan” to “return the Golden Lamb to the high quality food and service for which it is known.”
The Golden Lamb is the oldest operating business in the state of Ohio and has been visited by numerous historic figures during its two centuries of existence, including eight presidents and noted author Charles Dickens. The building is considered a cornerstone of downtown Lebanon commerce and tourism.
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