Tavern on Main: Springfield’s classy-looking but not-at-all-fussy dining destination

Yes, crystal chandeliers sparkle overhead and art deco details adorn the walls at Tavern on Main in Springfield, but co-owner Todd Wallenbeck wants one thing known: Leave your assumptions at the door.

“Sometimes the chandeliers backfire on us,” said Wallenbeck, who co-owns the downtown restaurant with business partner Andrew Deffenbacher. “People think, ‘Well, I’ve got to go home and change. I’ve got to get dressed up to come here,’ which is not the case.”

Since opening in 2021 in a restored historic building, Tavern on Main has established itself as Springfield’s upscale gathering place that doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s no dress code and never will be. Kids are welcome, too.

Guests can “go in wearing shorts and a T-shirt and still get a great, quality meal,” Wallenbeck said. “That’s what we wanted for this area. I just want to feed you. We’re a community gathering place. We want to feed you good food and make you comfortable.”

From skateboarding to fine dining

That inclusive philosophy likely has something to do with Wallenbeck’s background. In his early days of restaurant work, he never planned on becoming a chef, or the owner of two restaurants. (He also co-owns B2 Bar and Grill.) 

At 21, Wallenbeck was a professional skateboarder representing a skateboarding shop in Arizona. He walked into a nearby Mediterranean restaurant looking for work — and he wasn’t even looking for kitchen work.

“I was initially going to try and be a delivery driver, and the guy was like, ‘No, you look like a cook,'” Wallenbeck said. “And I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll give that a shot.'”

The restaurant’s owner, who was a man with Lebanese and French ancestry, took Wallenbeck under his wing, teaching him French technique and Mediterranean cuisine. He became enamored with the lifestyle and the fast pace. 

Wallenbeck continued cooking after that, and his culinary journey took him through Colorado’s Summit County, where he worked as a chef for Vail Resorts for five years, and got very into snowboarding. Then he returned to Arizona for a little while and connected with a group of skateboarders who lived in Portland and came to Arizona during the winter.

They told him, “You have come to Oregon,” so he did. 

“I ended up in Eugene, and I fell in love with it,” Wallenbeck said. 

Here, he met his wife Chelsea Willoughby while working at Marché. The couple also lived in Bend and Denver for a short time before returning to the Willamette Valley.

Building a partnership

Wallenbeck’s partnership with Deffenbacher began when they worked together at B2 Bar and Grill in Eugene’s Crescent Village neighborhood. After three years running operations, they bought the restaurant shortly before the pandemic hit in 2020. They were “freaking out,” Wallenbeck said, because they had just bought the restaurant. 

But the community response proved overwhelming. 

“Customers would drive by and hand us envelopes full of money, just saying, ‘We appreciate you guys so much. We want you to stay open,'” he said. 

They set up outdoor seating with tents and heaters, serving hot drinks through a cold winter.

Finding Springfield

When the partners got their first look at the historic building in Springfield, Wallenbeck knew that they had found their spot.

“As soon as we walked in, I was like, ‘We’re signing the lease. This space is beautiful,'” he said. “I loved being in a downtown area and how community oriented it was.”

The location reminded Wallenbeck of New York, with its walkable downtown and a variety of services, from a butcher shop to a cafe nearby. 

Wallenbeck’s menu elevates American classics with seasonal ingredients — fresh, sweet corn is paired with scallops in the summertime, while mushrooms take center stage in the fall. Year-round offerings put seafood and steak front and center, with dishes like steak frites topped with pistachio romesco ($28). Heritage pork chops paired with cardamom baba ganoush and grilled stone fruit ($29) sit alongside crowd favorites like the popular bacon smash burger ($21). 

Lunch dishes include favorites like the lobster roll ($23), a BLT with avocado and saffron aioli ($19) and cod fish and chips with remoulade sauce ($19).

Tavern on Main has a large drink menu that also changes seasonally, with sections for low-alcohol drinks and creative nonalcoholic mocktails such as the Guava Tea Thyme, made with Pathfinder (a nonalcoholic mixer), thyme-infused sugar, and black tea.

When Wallenbeck interviewed at Marché many years ago, the head chef asked him that classic interview question: “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” Wallenbeck answered that he wanted to be in the head chef’s position. 

Now that he’s achieved that dream and more, he’s beginning to think of the next phase of his career, which could involve culinary education. Not that he’s ready to slow down just yet, but when that time comes, he would like to be able to pass down the things he’s learned. 

“I want to be able to show kids that it’s possible, no matter where you come from, what your background is,” he said. “If you work hard enough, you can achieve a lot of things.”