Mar’Tae Kitchen & Cocktails originally opened in November of 2025. Co-owners Tae Winston and her brother Mark Lee had a vision to bring an upscale eatery to their home town of Trotwood. They remodeled the Salem Ave building, creating a luxe atmosphere featuring elevated soul food and sophisticated craft cocktails.
Through feedback from guests, Winston quickly realized that the restaurant was having struggles with staffing. There was an inconsistency with employees showing up on time, working through their complete shifts and following the rules.
So the decision was made to shut down, and regroup. “We let go of the staff, brought in professional consultants to help them with hiring and training a more professional team to work the restaurant,” says Winston. They did thorough back ground checks, hired more experienced applicants and raised their pay levels to make sure they got the kind of staff that cared about giving their customers a top notch experience.
They’ve also made the decision to not host large parties, so they can keep their service on par. Groups of eight or less are welcome. As part of the makeover, they’ve turned one of the private rooms into a lounge, with couches and chairs.
Winston shares, “our new General Manager Courtney has a human resources background and has changed the game for us, holding staff accountable and that gives us a lot of confidence. This new staff is top notch and we’re ready to welcome the community to come experience our restaurant.”
Today Mar’Tae Kitchen & Cocktails will reopen at noon, featuring their appetizer menu until 10pm tonight. After this warm up they will be open Friday from 4-10pm and Sunday from noon to 5pm with their full menu.
Here are some of the dishes that will be available tonight:
Sun 12 – 5pm
