Brad & Jen Talk Trail Haus & Southridge Brewing

Jen Purkey and Brad Heys, Co-Owners of Trail Haus

“Our goal is to be ourselves and produce awesome food in an awesome environment—and hopefully our passion for what we do comes across the counter,” stated Brad Heys, co-owner of Trail Haus, located at 171 South Mulberry Street #200 in Wilmington, Ohio. Brad and Jen Purkey, food enthusiasts and friends for over 20 years, partnered to open Trail Haus less than a year ago. They also operate Kava Haus in Wilmington, a Kava Haus franchise in Xenia, and soon-to-be Southridge Brewing in Wilmington.

Jen’s career in restaurant management began at the General Denver (GD) as Executive Chef. Although she had worked in restaurants and management before, she did not have experience creating menus and “being an actual chef.” However, according to her, her experience at GD taught her valuable lessons about business, and she gained all the tools necessary to operate a restaurant. Before Brad and Jen joined together, Brad opened Kava Haus in 2014. Jen left GD and came to Kava Haus in 2023 to expand their menu—16 months before opening Trail Haus.

According to Brad and Jen, roughly two years ago, Josh and Terri Schlabach, Owners of Wheelies on Mulberry, approached Brad about running a small cafe inside Wheelies. Brad and Jen joined together and began brainstorming. The two sought to create a “lighter, fresher vibe.” They also planned to serve all-day breakfast and source as many ingredients locally as possible. Both plans became a reality. In addition to serving all-day breakfast, they also source many of their ingredients locally from Walnut Ridge Acres, Heisy Herb Farm, Bank Barn Meats, and Henson Family Farm. In the future, they hope to get their liquor license.

Brad also stated that they were “blessed… to be successful early on” due to support from Josh and Terri Schlabach—as they fully furnished the kitchen at Trail Haus. This allowed them to get a “pretty fast start,” according to Brad.

Trail Haus is a hybrid between fast food and a sit-down restaurant. According to Jen, the restaurant has a “quick and convenient order method” but a “vibe” that customers will be taken care of more than typical fast food service. This style of restaurant allows them to have fewer employees and keep food costs lower.

Trail Haus is also able to host private events after hours. According to Jen, they can host private dinners, meetings, receptions, parties, and more. Although they do not cater, they will deliver large orders to local businesses. The restaurant also features a pick-up window where customers can pick up their phone orders or online orders made on the Toast Local app.

When creating the menu, they were inspired by a documentary called ‘Blue Zone,’ where a man travels to areas throughout the world with high life expectancies to seek out why. According to Brad, the answer boiled down to food, community, and exercise—all key elements at Trail Haus. In addition to the ‘Blue Zone,’ the restaurant also features a ‘Comfort Zone,’ ensuring diverse food options.

Trail Haus operations are a family effort, as both Brad and Jen have supportive, involved families. Brad’s son, Simon, is the main coffee roaster, in addition to helping with customer service and operating Trail Haus’s social media. Brad’s wife, Tricia, decorates and gardens for the restaurants. Jen’s husband, Matt, current president of Wilmington City Council, is also supportive of the restaurants and helps with IT.

Jen and Brad also spoke about their upcoming restaurant, Southridge Brewing. One of Brad’s relatives purchased the building roughly ten years ago and ran Brausch Brewery for nine years. When they decided to sell it, Jen, Brad, and their master brewer, Alex Rhinehart, decided they could not pass on the opportunity. Alex grew up locally, graduating from both Wilmington High School and Wilmington College. He bartended at GD, taught at Wilmington College, and is now the head brewer at Fibonacci Brewing in Cincinnati.

According to Brad and Jen, the vision for Southridge Brewing is very similar to the vision at Trail Haus—a place for the community to hang out and enjoy locally sourced food and drinks. They even plan to use local ingredients to brew the beer. Although they have not decided on exact menu items, Jen mentioned that the goal is rustic cooking, food that incorporates beer, and traditional brewery food. Jen stated, “One thing is for sure… it will be fresh, tasty, and good.”

Regarding changes being made to the building, Brad mentioned that they plan to make it “brighter and lighter” than a traditional bar. They also explained the reason behind the name, sharing that Alex grew up in the Southridge area and Jen currently lives there.

According to Brad, the best part of the job is creating new menu items. He even stated that something rarely hits the menu without being tweaked and tasted more than once. Brad and Jen explained that they experiment with menu items because they want to serve healthy food that is also delicious. Jen stated, “I love taking care of people and I love making people happy with food.”

Listen to episode 68 of the Real Change Wilmington Podcast, 'The Story of Trail Haus and Upcoming Southridge Brewing' with Jen Purkey and Brad Heys, on your favorite podcast player below: