For more than three decades, Michael Timothy’s Dining Group has been building some of New Hampshire’s most beloved restaurants, from the original bistro in Nashua to Surf Seafood and Buckley’s Great Steaks. Now the family-owned group is expanding its footprint in and around Portsmouth with a new wave of Seacoast projects.
We sat down with Vice President Ian Buckley to learn more.
Q: How did Michael Timothy's Dining Group begin, and what first brought you to Portsmouth?
A: We’re a 31-year-old, family-owned restaurant group. My father, Michael, is an executive chef and started the company by opening Michael Timothy’s, a small chef-owned bistro in Nashua. We added Surf in Nashua and Buckley’s Great Steaks in Merrimack, then about 15 years ago, opened Surf in Portsmouth. We were a new face at first, but once people got to know us, the community welcomed us, and Surf has become one of our most consistent restaurants. The community has been amazing to us.
Q: You weren’t actively looking to grow, yet you’re now taking on four Seacoast locations. How did that happen?
A: Two years ago, we opened Lost Cowboy Brewing in Nashua, a large brewery, country bar, and barbecue restaurant, so I wasn’t looking for anything new. But once people know you’re in the area, you’re always being presented with opportunities. In the second half of this year, the owner of CR’s in Hampton, who was ready to step back, reached out. Around the same time, Mark McNabb, who owned The Rosa, Martingale Wharf, and The Hearth, wanted to shift his focus to other projects in town. The more we talked, the more it made sense, and it quickly went from “we’re not doing any new projects this year” to “we’re doing four.” Sometimes you can’t dictate when the opportunity presents itself.
Q: What are those four projects, and how do you see each one fitting into the Seacoast?
A: The former Hearth space has become Buckley’s Market & Café. Our bakery and commissary in Merrimack supplies fresh pastries and prepared foods, and Portsmouth guests also get a full bar program and catering. In the Martingale Wharf space, we’ll put in a casual New England seafood restaurant and event space on the water, in the Surf family, but with its own name and menu. Over in Hampton, we’ll take over CR’s, keep the existing concept in place for a short time, then close briefly to reopen it as a spot that blends a comfortable tavern feel with a classic steakhouse.
And then there’s The Rosa. It’s been there almost 100 years and has deep meaning for a lot of people in town. I’ve decided to keep the name because it’s iconic here. I don’t want to be the guy who comes in and rips it out. It’ll still be The Rosa, but with our recipes and our approach to classic, comfortable Italian food. We make our own pasta, marinara, meatballs, and lasagna — everything from scratch — so we’ll bring in our menu instead of trying to recreate something someone else did years ago.
Q: What can guests expect as these transitions roll out?
A: With multiple projects going on, I need to focus on one at a time and get each one up and running before moving to the next. Right now, that’s the Buckley’s Market & Café in Portsmouth. At The Rosa and CR’s, the first couple of weeks after we take over, people really shouldn’t expect to see any changes. We need to get in there with our team, understand how things are run, and build trust with the staff. Then, we’ll roll out menu and bar changes as we integrate our company into what’s already there. It was important to me to have no downtime. I want to keep the staff fully employed and on board, so as an everyday customer, you won’t see big changes until we’re ready, and even then, we might only shut down for a day or two.
Q: Why does Portsmouth feel like the right place to keep investing, and how does that tie into your overall brand?
A: Portsmouth has an excellent food scene, with lots of independent restaurants and a ton of options in a small, walkable downtown. We’ve always believed that consistency is everything. We’ve built our reputation on fresh, from-scratch menus and consistent service. I’d rather offer a very good meal seven nights a week than the best meal someone’s ever had once and just be okay the rest of the time. We deliver an upscale casual dining experience. You can come in a T-shirt or a business suit and spend $18 or $80, but it’s the same experience regardless. That’s how we’ll always operate, and that’s what we’re excited to bring more of to Portsmouth and the Seacoast
The more we talked, the more it made sense, and it quickly went from “we’re not doing any new projects this year” to “we’re doing four.”