Cape couple hopes to revitalize Mollie's

Brian Noto points to a corner booth to explain his strong connection with the Cape Girardeau restaurant he now owns: "We had our first date at that table."

That was in May 2005 and he later married that woman, who -- as of Monday -- is his partner as co-owner of Mollie's Cafe & Bar as well as his partner in life.

"We have the passion to do this," Noto said. "And we want to start with a clean slate."

Noto and his wife, Quantella Anderson-Noto, say they are hoping to resurrect the longtime restaurant, rebuilding it from the financial instability of its previous owners, Matt Tygett and Mike Risch. The Notos said they want to return the restaurant and bar to the heights of the restaurant's founders, John and Jerri Wyman. Mollie's is at 11 S. Spanish St.

"Mollie's carries a lot of good will," said Noto, who moved to Cape Girardeau from Southern California in 2003. "People were expecting things because of what John and Jerri did. There were some minor tarnishes that can be overcome."

How severe the financial problems isn't fully known. Tygett and Risch could not be reached after the restaurant closed unexpectedly last week and a sign was put up saying it was being remodeled.

The Wymans, who first opened Mollie's at 627 Good Hope St. in 1989, had to take the restaurant back from Tygett and Risch through foreclosure. The Wymans, who sold to Tygett and Risch in 2002, had financed a portion of the deal.

Tygett and Risch had gotten "way behind" on their bills by "essentially mismanaging the place," John Wyman said. Large tabs were given to customers who didn't repay them, Wyman said.

Reputation to salvage

"There was no reason to damage the reputation of Mollie's any further," he said. "They've done enough of that."

The Wymans had attempted to work with Tygett and Risch about a year ago to make unspecified changes, but "nothing ever really took hold," Wyman said.

Wyman didn't care to elaborate, except to say that Tygett and Risch had personal issues that hindered their ability to manage effectively.

"But I'm all about moving forward," he said.

The Notos hope to do the same. They are in the process of doing some work to the restaurant, with the help of the Wymans, including cleaning the kitchen, restoring the outside garden patio and performing some routine maintenance that had been neglected.

They plan to have Mollie's reopened no later than Sept. 1.

The Wymans called the Notos because of their backgrounds and passion for downtown, Wyman said. Brian Noto has a background in the publishing industry, where he was publisher and general manager for online magazines like BoardWatch, World Trade and special interests publications that focused on the automotive and aviation fields.

Quantella Anderson-Noto is the director of the hospitality management program at Southeast Missouri State University, where she works to teach students the hospitality industry, such as food preparation.

Qualified successors

"They were both professional," he said. "They both have the ability to be serious, and this is a serious business. But they also know how to make it fun. It has to be both, and that's what drew us to them."

In John Wyman's phone call to Brian Noto, he called Mollie's "their baby." It was the first restaurant the Wymans operated, followed by Bel Air Grill, the Royal N'Orleans and Bella Italia. They have since sold all of them.

"We're not in the restaurant business anymore," he said. "We're in the downtown business. We want to promote and bring life into the downtown. We live less than a block away, so naturally we have an interest."

Both will run the business, but Brian Noto will mainly oversee the business side and his wife will be instrumental in giving the staff service training and organizing the menu.

They said not to expect too many changes to the menu or the interior, though they will tinker with it to make improvements. Both said that they saw service as the big problem under previous management. For example, Brian Noto said, if someone doesn't like a meal, it may be a matter of taste. But service touches everyone.

They also plan to keep on as many of the employees as they can. The employees weren't at fault, Anderson-Noto said. They may just need better training.

But the Notos don't see the restaurant as damaged goods. They know people are passionate about it, and they want to restore it to its former glory.

"It was an unfortunate series of events," Brian Noto said. "But ultimately it culminated with us here and we're grateful for the opportunity. It was really good when it wasn't broken, and it doesn't have to be broken."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137