Baltimore Business Journal
The Federal Hill space that’s been home to Mother’s Grille for decades will be run by a different restaurant group from the neighborhood once the longtime spot closes this month.
White Oak Hospitality, the group behind Ditos, Banditos and Wayward Bar & Kitchen, has plans to occupy the bar building at 1113 S. Charles St., according to a liquor license transfer and a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The 27-year-old Mother’s Grille announced in early December that it will close on Jan. 19 with “an undisclosed buyer in the neighborhood” taking over the property and renovating the space.
White Oak CEO Sean White confirmed his group has plans for the property but declined to offer more details. A liquor license hearing will be scheduled on or after Jan. 9.
White is an applicant for a license transfer at the Mother’s address, which is located next door to the group’s Wayward Bar & Kitchen. A concept replacing Mother’s has not yet been named. The transfer application also requests an expansion for a patio at the Federal Hill space.
An SEC filing at the beginning of December uses the Charles Street address as an LLC, with White listed as an executive officer and director. Michael McDevitt, the former CEO of Medifast Inc. and formerly of meal-kit delivery startup Terra’s Kitchen, is also named on the filing as a director. The group has raised $500,000 from three investors out of a $1.5 million funding goal, per the filing.
White Oak Hospitality is one of the largest restaurant groups in the area, with two Federal Hill spots and six Banditos locations in Maryland and Virginia. The Federal Hill Banditos, which recently rebranded as Ditos, was the original location and opened in 2012. The flagship Mother’s location opened at 1113 S. Charles St. in 1997 and has been featured on the Food Network. For years, the Federal Hill bar has been known for its Purple Patio, which draws long lines of sports fans looking to party before or during Ravens games. While the city location will close, Mother’s locations in Arnold and Timonium will remain open. The closure announcement noted the possibility of additional locations opening in the future.
White Oak’s move into the space will be the latest shakeup on the Federal Hill bar and restaurant scene, which has seen several rebrands and other takeovers in the last year. The Charles is under new ownership and rebranded as the Perch, and SoBo Market was reborn as a deli called The Grateful Fed after changing hands. Banditos recently changed its name to Ditos and closed an expanded space once home to 101 Baltimore.
