131 Main now serving steak and seafood in Lakewood Ranch

When Joe Douglas opened his first 131 Main restaurant in Cornelius, North Carolina, just over 20 years ago, he forgot to buy art. 

The budget was missing a line item for artwork, so the walls were completely bare and the budget was spent. 

He sent an employee out to Home Goods to purchase whatever could be found, but not for more than $50 a piece. 

The brand and Douglas have certainly evolved over the past two decades. 

Douglas is now an art collector, and the newly opened Lakewood Ranch location in the Center Point Plaza is the fifth 131 Main.

The space offers an experience equal to visiting a small art gallery. Prints don’t get through Douglas’ doors now. Each piece is an original work of art, and they’re not all wall hangers. 

Upon entering the dining room, there’s a bright yellow metal sculpture to the left that immediately draws attention. 

A table was in its place, but Douglas felt the table was too close to the entrance to be comfortable for guests, so he replaced it with “Yellow Clover” by Luis Kaiulani, a piece that has a list price of $17,620 on Saatchi Art.

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

"Our theory is our facility needs to look as nice or nicer than their homes," Douglas said. "Otherwise, why go out?" 

The art is not for sale, but upon request, there is a catalogue of the work for guests to peruse. 

The steak and seafood dishes are of the same caliber as the art. 

“When we say ‘We’re all fresh,’ we have no freezers,” Douglas said. “Everything comes in with a very short shelf life, and we only buy the highest quality ingredients.” 

For that reason, the restaurant doesn’t accept large parties. The tables are bolted to the floor, so the hostess can’t pull them together for a party of 20. 

However, Douglas said the staff will refer that party of 20 to at least three other restaurants nearby that will gladly seat them because he only hires “people who care.” He said if employees care about the customers, the rest can be taught. 

The ingredients are too fresh and the standards are too high at 131 Main for large parties. Douglas said it throws the entire kitchen off, whereas parties of four or less keep everything running smoothly. 

Douglas refused to choose a favorite dish because he equated it to choosing a favorite child. He said the entire menu was designed to be the best available in the marketplace whether it’s a salad or a rack of ribs. 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

The wine list is no exception. Each wine is vetted, and the options are low-production vintages that won’t be found by the bottle at a grocery store. 

Every detail, down to the lighting, has been honed precisely to provide an impeccable dining experience. 

Theater lighting runs throughout the dining room, so each table receives its own spotlight. At night, it creates a more intimate atmosphere. Douglas said you can practically separate the tables with lighting alone.

The booths were crafted with real leather seats, and the table tops are natural walnut. 

In place of an outside patio, there’s an air conditioned sunroom. If the weather’s not too warm or rainy, the windows open for an outdoor feel. 

Lakewood Ranch will become the first 131 Main restaurant to offer an indoor patio. There are also two bars, so that bar guests don't compete for service with dinner guests. The dining room has a separate service bar to itself. 

The menus are nearly identical across the five locations. 131 Main is known for upscale steak and seafood. However, the aesthetics of each restaurant vary. 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

The other four locations are in North Carolina. The first location, built in Lake Norman, was designed with a low country bayou feel, while the second location in Blakely was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Douglas said the Lakewood Ranch location was built in the style of Alys Beach, a luxury community on Florida’s Gulf coast known for its Mediterranean architecture. 

The homes and buildings are designed with a crisp white stucco, as is 131 Main. 

The restaurant opened to friends and family April 3 and opened to the public April 9, but Douglas is insistent on a slow rollout. He expects to only seat about half the dining room to start. 

"I want to be 100%," he said. "This is not about how much money we can make. This is about getting the product perfect." 

In that same vein, Douglas has been training staff for the past year in preparation for 131 Main to open in Lakewood Ranch. He relocated six families from North Carolina to ensure his standards are met. 

The restaurant brings with it about another 100 jobs to the area.