Restaurant Revisited: Mystic Mystery at Mystic Treats
COYNE
"I have no idea what 'Mystic Treats' means," Robert Irvine told husband-and-wife owners Michael and Erika Lowe of the name of their Ashland, Ore., eatery. Though the couple has a shared background in the IT field, the two opened Mystic Treats three years ago and recently relocated it to a space with history as both Mexican and Korean eateries, which only furthered Mystic Treats' oddball identity. After hearing feedback from the community, Robert managed to find his vision for the updated interior, and he tasked his Restaurant: Impossible design and construction teams to bring several themes to life, including "earthy," "vibrant," "quirky — a little bit" and "homey."
When it comes to the food at Mystic Treats, the menu was seemingly as confused as the decor: It offered pizza mash-ups inspired by hot dogs, pasta, and macaroni and cheese, among others. Michael and Erika had been committed to creating every element of their menu from scratch in the restaurant, and while Robert is usually quick to praise such dedication, the finished products coming out of the kitchen didn't shine. "Some of the ideas are good, but the execution of it is not good," Robert told Erika after she saw the reality of her offerings. With some help and inspiration from Robert, however, the couple learned how careful spending on store-bought items and forgoing several homemade products may in turn save them money.
After two days of reinvigorating Erika and Michael, Robert was confident that the two had the tools they needed to give Mystic Treats a second chance at success. But despite Robert's and his team's best efforts, ultimately Mystic Treats closed its doors recently and is no longer open for business.