On Thyme Restaurant is set to expand on Castle Street, with a 1,400-square-foot addition in the works.
That additional space will accommodate a new bar, more seating, an expanded prep kitchen and a waiting area. Corey and Phallin Scott opened the restaurant at 918 Castle St. in the fall of 2022, and from the beginning saw a need to grow.
“I think since the day we started, we needed extra space,” Corey Scott said this week. “Basically, just listening to the customers and looking at what was going on in there, it was just too crowded.”
On Thyme was the Scotts'
first brick-and-mortar restaurant, following the launch of On Thyme Catering in 2019 and a food truck in 2020. Since then, the two have opened
Brunch Thyme in the Brooklyn Arts District and
Glizzies on the Go, a mobile hot dog stand.
At one point, the Scotts considered looking for a bigger space beyond their Castle Street restaurant but opted instead to invest in the area, Corey Scott said.
“We own half of that block on Castle Street, so we felt like it would be a good investment to invest in ourselves instead of trying to go find another bigger building for On Thyme,” he said.
The Scotts submitted plans for the addition to the city of Wilmington this spring and recently closed on a loan that will help fund the expansion. The 1,400-square-foot addition would be constructed on a portion of the restaurant’s existing outdoor seating area.
“In the summertime, the deck is not really used as much because it’s so hot outside,” Corey Scott explained. “Now, we got a space that we can use year-round.”
The project would help address feedback the restaurant has received over the years, Corey Scott said. For example, the restaurant often sees out-of-town visitors and tour groups who are surprised to learn that On Thyme doesn’t serve alcohol. Corey Scott said he directs them to other nearby establishments but feels like it's a missed opportunity for the business. The Scotts plan to add a full-service bar to On Thyme as part of the addition.
The new waiting area would give customers space to wait for a table without having to stand outside or sit in their cars, Corey Scott said, and the proposed prep kitchen would expand the restaurant’s prep space from roughly 100 square feet to nearly 400 square feet.
The addition is also expected to accommodate seating for about 30 customers, Corey Scott said, bringing the restaurant’s total capacity to seating for 55 to 60 people inside and 15 outside.
Corey Scott said they plan to submit applications for permits this week and hope to break ground on the project in mid-August. Construction is expected to take about four months, with completion slated for December.
With the expansion in the works, Corey Scott said he expects to hire around 10 additional staff members, including a general manager, as well as more cooks, servers and bar staff.
