The City of Crown Point’s downtown square is a fixture of Northwest Indiana. With a variety of unique cafes, shops, and the historic Lake County Courthouse, turning a visit to the Square into a true day trip is beyond easy. One key to making the Square work as well as it does is the close relationship the city maintains with the restaurants downtown.
The restaurants on the Square make downtown Crown Point a food haven for the Region. From tacos to Americana to ramen, the diverse food can get any mouth watering. The community response to the dining has been nothing short of incredible. One restaurant that’s seen a lot of love from the community is Square Roots.
“The community has grown to love Square Roots, and it has built a very loyal fanbase,” said Trisha Gordon, regional manager of Culinary Misfits and Square Roots. “We try to keep things fun and fresh there. We change our menu seasonally and do a burger of the month and distillery/breweries of the month. There is always something new and tasty for our guests to check out.”
Newer restaurants, such as Culinary Misfits, also get a lot of help from the community in the form of feedback and support. When the community is vocal about what it wants, necessary changes are made.
“Culinary Misfits is still very new, but I will say the community has been very welcoming and understanding. We have taken their feedback and made changes that I believe are for the better,” said Gordon. “I love how the community has been so understanding with us being new and still working out all the kinks. We are about six months in, and I truly believe we have found our groove.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in January of 2020, many restaurants were forced to shut down for the safety of their staff and customers. While the restaurants on the Square are still recovering, the municipal government has continued to work with and support the restaurants.
“Crown Point has seen a lot of change since the pandemic,” said Dana Frank, marketing director at Heritage Restaurant Management (HRM) Group. “In March, the city called a meeting to update local businesses on things that they were doing. Anytime we are invited to those meetings, we use it as a chance to brainstorm how the city could better help our businesses and how we could give back to the city and collaborate moving forward to improve the outlook of the city and the amount of people coming into businesses.”
When not working with the city, the restaurants are working together to drive foot traffic to the Square and each other. The main way they do this is by banding together for downtown events.
“We work together with all of the restaurants on the Square then also do some events,” said Frank. “We are part of a little downtown restaurant group.”
“The owners and managers of the surrounding businesses are always working together to put on fun events,” added Gordon. “We have also borrowed supplies from one another when we run out. I would say we all contribute to making the Square a better place!”
Crown Point’s downtown works so well because of the bevy of collaborations and relationships being formed between the restaurants and the city. With the summer months on their way and huge events like Crown Point’s summer concerts coming to Bulldog Park, the Square’s restaurateurs are excited for a big season.
“With summer coming around, there are tons of sporting events coming to Bulldog Park and big concerts coming up like Elle King,” said Frank. “Bringing in big events like that will also bring in more people to the area and through the door.”
To learn more about the City of Crown Point and its summer events, visit crownpoint.in.gov.
To check out the menu at Ricochet Tacos’ Crown Point location or view some of the local art, visit ricochettacos.com.
To find your next favorite food formula, visit Square Roots’ website at squarerootscp.com.
To see everything Culinary Misfits has to offer, visit culinarymisfitscp.com.
