Posted: 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, 2014

A downtown eatery that opened less than a year ago has been sold and is changing its name.

Stained 1054 Bistro, which opened on April 8, 2013, has been taken over by two Middletown couples — Bob and Nancy Fairchild and Jay and Linda Moorman — and, while it remains open, it will be renamed Murphy’s Landing on April 24. Moorman said the restaurant is located in the former G.C. Murphy Building.

Stained 1054 Bistro formerly was operated by Mark Bursley, owner of the Red Onion in Monroe.

Jay Moorman and his wife, who also own the BeauVerre Riordan Stained Glass Studio that is connected to Stained, said they have hired James Bailey, a graduate of Johnson & Wales School of Culinary Arts, to consult for the next 90 days.

He said Bailey, who has set up national chain restaurants, has a “wealth of experience.”

Moorman added: “We have hired the best out there so we can do this right.”

Jay Moorman said the new menu will feature fresh food, utilizing local produce, meat vendors and bakeries. The bar will specialize in whiskey drinks and a large, local tap beer selection.

The restaurant and kitchen also will be expanded to include most of the first floor of the stained glass business, Moorman said. He said this will allow the restaurant to host small events and wine tastings.

Starting on Easter, the restaurant will offer a Sunday brunch, similar to the popular selection that was served at the Manchester Inn, he said. He said there are five downtown churches within walking distance of the restaurant, and Murphy’s Landing, with all its stained glass, will be a “logical” destination for church-goers. The restaurant will be closed from April 21-23, then hold its grand re-opening on April 24.

Moorman said there are several investors in the restaurant, and while ownership and the name has changed, those investors remain the same.

The Moormans and Fairchilds are “committed” to Middletown and the revitalization of downtown, Jay Moorman said. Bob Fairchild, vice president of the folding carton division at Huhtamaki in Franklin, was a business partner of the late Perry Thatcher, who owned several companies and was instrumental in Cincinnati State opening a campus in downtown Middletown.

Moorman said Fairchild “knew Middletown was important to Perry and he wants to carry that on.”

When asked if he believes the new restaurant can be successful, he said “it’s not about money.”

Instead, he said, the goal is to make Murphy’s Landing something Middletown “can be proud of where everybody has a good experience. It will be successful if downtown is successful.”

Name: Stained 1054 Bistro

Location: 1054 Central Ave., Middletown

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Starting on Easter, the restaurant will be named Murphy’s Landing and be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Sunday

Phone: 513-217-7365