Restaurant group renaming, rebranding Ottawa Beach Inn

Restaurant group renaming, rebranding Ottawa Beach Inn
<strong> Courtesy River & Odi Hospitality Group </strong>

A longtime beachside restaurant is undergoing renovations and will reopen this spring as a taco and Mexican street food joint.

Eric Chaitin, owner of River & Odi Hospitality Group, said the company is closing Ottawa Beach Inn at 2155 Ottawa Beach Road in Holland and will transform it into a new dining concept, Playa Tacos & Tequilas, which will open in May 2022.

“Playa” is Spanish for beach, a nod to the eatery’s proximity to Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan.

River & Odi Hospitality Group acquired Ottawa Beach Inn in 2014.

“Ottawa Beach Inn has been a Holland mainstay for 50 years, and our team is grateful to have played a role in that rich history,” Chaitin said. “Playa Tacos & Tequilas is an entirely new concept, one we’re exceptionally proud to have built from the ground up and one we know will serve our neighbors in Holland well.”

Playa Tacos & Tequilas will be a modern restaurant serving craft cocktails and Mexican street food made with fresh, high-quality ingredients. The opening food menu will feature items such as carne asada, diablo shrimp and chorizo tacos served on housemade corn tortillas, as well as al pastor, bruselas, and chicken tinga bowls and salads. Curated menu items for larger groups also will be available.

The drink menu will feature more than 150 tequilas and mezcals, margaritas made using fresh juices and other handcrafted cocktails.

The new concept will be open year-round.

Grand Rapids-based Newco Design Build is the contractor on the project. Lisa Wylie is the interior designer. The restaurant will feature a large outdoor patio and extended full bar. Garage doors on the south side of the restaurant will allow for a fresh-air dining experience inside during the warmer months. Décor will be a blend of modern/light-industrial and light/airy boho elements. The expanded fireplace wall will “assure a warm and cozy gathering place in the winter months,” the restaurant company said.

“The restaurant industry has changed in the past 50 years and even more so over the past two,” Chaitin said. “This new concept accommodates those changes but also allows us to bring a unique and exciting concept to the lakeshore. We’re eager to open and to share Playa Tacos & Tequilas with our communities.”

River & Odi Hospitality Group hopes to hire 50 employees to start the summer season. The company will host job fairs in late February and mid-March to fill positions. Those interested can apply at riverandodi.com.