Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Pruitt.
Mark, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been working in restaurants since I was 15 years old, starting as a busser. I moved to the back of the house and worked every position in a variety of places, Steakhouses, Italian, Mexican, and others.
In 2001 I became a partner in Bigelo’s Bistro in Edwardsville Illinois. We had a very devoted customer base for nearly 20 years.
After Bigelo’s closed I worked for my wife’s business, Kinderpack Baby Carriers, for a few years, but I always wanted to return to the hospitality industry. So in 2024, after some major renovations to a building we owned, we opened Delmar Public House in Godfrey, Illinois.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The sales have been a disappointment for sure; 2025 was a pretty bad year for restaurants all around I think. We’ve only been open little more than a year, so there are still people that dont know we’re here. We’re optimistic about 2026!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Delmar Public House is a modern take on pub favorites with influences from kitchens around the world. We love to explore flavors and ingredients from classic European pub dishes, Indian dishes, and foods from the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean regions.
Our house blended sausage for example, uses a blend of classic British sausage ingredients and the Lebanese seasoning Za’atar. The sausage is in two of our most popular dishes, Bangers and Smash and our Cottage Pie.
Our Pub Burger, Fish and Chips, and Delmar Masala have quite a devoted following.
We’ve also created an exciting cocktail menu that has received local recognition as the best in the Riverbend.
I’m very proud that we strive to use fresh, local ingredients and make everything from scratch when possible. Our customers have told us they can taste the extra time and love that goes into our food.
But our staff is the thing I’m most proud of. We have a devoted group of people who are committed to providing exceptional service and exceptional food to every customer, every time. We really are like a family.
What’s next?
This year we are rolling out our Sunday Supper Club. Every other month or so, we’ll have a 4-6 course menu paired with drinks. For each individual course the guest will have four drink options- beer, wine, cocktail or NA selection. They can choose whichever option they wish for each course. So you can have a beer with the first course, cocktail with the second and wine with the third, whatever you want. We recently used this format for our Anniversary dinner in November and it was a huge hit.
Pricing:
- Starters $10-15
- Sandwiches $15-18
- Entrees $21-40
Contact Info:
- Website: https://delmarpublichouse.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552679549444
