Avondale Common House owners branch out into Trussville

Trussville Common House, an anchor restaurant for Quad One in Downtown Trussville on Morrow Ave., is now slated to open in August 2019, after original plans hoped for a spring opening. 

The restaurant, which prides itself on fresh, seasonal food, will be the second location for husband and wife owners William and Ellen Rogers, who opened Avondale Common House last May. The couple said they jumped at the opportunity to open in Trussville when approached by project developers, as opposed to opening a second location in Birmingham.  

“I think the culinary bubble and restaurant bubble in Birmingham is so saturated. If we opened another restaurant down the street, we’d pull from ourselves,” said Ellen Rogers, who is the general manager. “Trussville is such a family neighborhood. We want it to be a home base for everyone in the neighborhood where you can hang out and come meet.”

Rogers says they welcome people to set up their laptops to work out of the restaurant during the afternoons or to be the location for a girls’ outing. The two-story restaurant, designed with outdoor seating on both levels, will sit closest to the new entertainment district’s lawn and stage. The upstairs will be available as an event space.

“We want it super casual and super family friendly,” Rogers said. “On a beautiful night to have a concert, you’ll be able to eat dinner and listen, it’s going to be really neat.”

Rogers expects the menu options to be similar to Avondale when the restaurant first opens, which may include favorites such as the Crispy Kung Pao Cauliflower, fried wings appetizers or the Common Burger on the regular menu and Sunday brunch favorites like Eggs Benedict. Rogers said the menu, which in Avondale is vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free-friendly, includes fresh vegetables and fruits from local farms and markets, and all of the seafood served comes from the Gulf. 

While there may be some similar options in the beginning, she said, William Rogers, who is executive chef, eventually will create two separate menus for the two locations to “stand on their own two feet.” 

Ellen Rogers said they will begin staffing the restaurant in early 2019 to train in Avondale and move to Trussville. 

While Avondale Common House has only been open a year, the Rogers are not new to the culinary scene in Birmingham. Ellen Rogers bartended her way through school at Outback Steakhouse in Auburn and Fleming’s Steakhouse at the Summit. After earning her culinary degree, she was hired as a server at Ocean Restaurant in Southside in 2004, where she met William Rogers, who was a line cook. 

Both worked their way up at Ocean — Ellen Rogers to general manager and William Rogers to sous chef. After getting married in 2013, William Rogers became general manager and executive chef at Iron City and Ellen Rogers was hired to run Sky Caste in the Lakeview District before opening Common House together in 2017.

“We have a level of expectation that’s going to be the same of the fine dining restaurants as far as service, the quality of the food and the presentation on the plate but we want it to be obviously not at that price point,” Rogers said. 

To learn more about Avondale Common House and for updates on the Trussville location, visit avondalecommonhouse.com or follow the restaurant at facebook.com/avondalecommonhouse.