With more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, co-owner Colleen Fitzpatrick said she partnered with Mike Westering to bring the restaurant to the Wedgewood Golf Course clubhouse Oct. 1, 2018.
“Mike is an avid duck hunter, so the whole Cedar Lodge concept was his,” Fitzpatrick said. “This was his vision.”
The lodge’s top-selling items include the cedar-wrapped salmon, chicken-fried steak, stuffed bell peppers and ribeye filets paired with its extensive wine list. Fitzpatrick said the restaurant smokes its own meat, bakes its own bread and even has its own herb garden.
Fitzpatrick emphasized the restaurant is not “upper scale,” and the food and the venue is accessible to everyone.
“People get the wrong impression; they think they’ve got to get dressed up when they come in, or it’s very expensive,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s American comfort food, and the pricing is amazing, very reasonable.”
Fitzpatrick said she hired chef Jesse Cavazos from Nick’s Fish Dive & Oyster Bar in The Woodlands on Sept. 25 and is excited to see what changes he might bring to the restaurant.
“I think he’s going to be amazing fit,” Fitzpatrick said. “He wants to change up the menu, and he’s very, very talented.”
In addition to the dining room, the lodge functions as a 200-person event venue with outdoor areas and performance spaces. Fitzpatrick said in the main building, they maintained the original bar but remodeled the rest of the building with cedar and put in a fireplace.
Although there have been growing pains as the restaurant enters its second year, Fitzpatrick said it has gotten easier through her career, and she has been blessed with a great staff.
“We’ve got to make sure the customers have the best experience because it’s a totally different concept,” Fitzpatrick said. “There’s nothing else like us out here.”
As the restaurant heads into its second year, Fitzpatrick said she wanted to develop a loyal following in the area.
“The goal is to get the word out more to the community, let people know that we’re here, what we offer,” Fitzpatrick said. “They’re really gonna enjoy their experience.”
Cedar Lodge
5454 Hwy. 105 W., Conroe
936-703-5225
www.cedarlodgerestaurant.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
