Parkville opened up a new, railroad track-side restaurant late last year and its family ideals make it stand out from the crowd.
The Riverpark Pub & Eatery offers assortments of burgers, wings, chicken sandwiches, seafood and plenty of other lunch or dinner time meals. While the establishment has its own special sauces for wings, its real uniqueness can be found in its family ties.
Owner Troy Todd has opened a number of other restaurants on his own before, but this is the first time his son, Tanner Todd, is joining him in overseeing the establishment.
Troy says Tanner moved away when he was only 14, meaning he’s not been able to see his son much for 10 years.
“He moved away to go play hockey, so, since the age of 14, he has never really lived with us,” Troy said. “To have him here to help me build this place up has been a blessing. He’s been through hell with me.”
Though having his son back for the summer has meant the two have been able spend plenty of time together, the restaurant was not always in the cards.
“I wasn’t looking for this restaurant to happen, but some interested friends of mine came about so we decided to give it a try,” Troy said. “Having opened up a few restaurants, there is a lot of trial and error. We call it ‘living in Hell for a little while.’”
While opening any restaurant can be quite the task, recent flooding has made the past month of ownership quite the hassle. Troy elaborated on how the heavy rain has directly impacted the pub.
“When the water gets really high, we start losing parking space.” Troy said. “In downtown Parkville we have one city parking lot and when that turns into a lake, we have no place to park.”
While the entire Riverpark Pub team surely puts their blood, sweat and grease into every meal served, Troy makes it clear that the restaurant is merely a piece of the Parkville community.
“Everybody wants to compare us to other people, but I don’t want to compare myself to anybody,” Troy said. “There are a lot of great restaurants around this area. Some have been around for a while, too, so for me to compare myself to them is ridiculous. The only person I can compete with is myself.”
Troy went on to describe the establishment’s focus on inner growth, saying that it was about “perfecting their art.”
The Riverpark Pub & Eatery opened last October, but the growing going on happens daily. Troy says he knows that, while not everyone can be catered to, he hopes the Riverpark Pub will sit among the list of other great Parkville restaurants.