Freetown’s Iconic Nephew’s Restaurant Sold, Will Change Name

Back in October, we first told you the story of The Nephews Restaurant in Freetown closing down permanently after the sad death of owner, Ron Stapleton. Ron’s wife Sandy had informed the staff that she had no plans to reopen.

Who Bought The Nephews?

Today, three months later, The Nephews Restaurant was sold, and there are plans to reopen the restaurant as early as this spring. The property and the restaurant were purchased for $1.2 million by the same ownership group as Rose Alley Alehouse: Howie Mallowes, Jay Lanagan, Pat Long, and Al Peters.

Will The Nephews Name Stay the Same?

At the request of the Stapleton family, the name will be changed to something new. When The Nephews reopens, the new name will be The Profile Tavern, a nod to Freetown’s famous Profile Rock, which collapsed back in 2019.

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The Profile Tavern Menu

The Profile Tavern will be a family-style restaurant with a menu very similar to what was found at The Nephews. Out of respect to the former owners, the recipes will be altered slightly on some of the items, including the pizza. You can expect American, a little bit of Italian and some pub-type food.

What Made the Restaurant Desirable?

One of the new owners, Howie Mallowes, told us why they made an offer on the spot when they saw The Nephews.

“There’s a history of that particular location. The Stapletons ran that restaurant very well,” he said. “It’s very clean. It’s just a great location, right off of the highway. It’s one of the only restaurants in that area. I used to go there and the food was great. It was always fairly busy. It’s an area people can easily get to, it has a sizable parking lot. The equipment is all in very good shape. We see ourselves being successful there.”

Don’t expect much in the way of renovations, as the new owners want to keep that tavern/lodge feel from the original restaurant.

What About the Former Staff?

“I think one of the strongpoints of our offer was that we told them that any staff that was working at The Nephews was more than welcome to come back,” Mallowes said. “In fact, we’ve already spoken to a few that are definitely coming back.”

What About Gift Certificates From The Nephews?

The Profile Tavern will honor all of The Nephew’s gift certificates. Customers will have a couple of months to bring in the paper gift certificates from The Nephews to transfer them over to a plastic gift card.

When Will The Profile Tavern Open?

Freetown can look forward to the new restaurant opening up sometime around April or May.

The Dishes to Try Most at Over 100 SouthCoast Restaurants

From the freshest seafood you can find to some of the best dang Portuguese dishes outside of Portugal itself, there are so many dishes to enjoy and love here on the SouthCoast, and we put ’em all into one spot. Check out more than 100 of the SouthCoast’s favorite restaurants, and let us know if your favorites made the list.