Mission on the Bay Will Offer Ocean Views When It Opens This Year in Swampscott

Swampscott, a seaside town about 15 miles north of Boston, is getting a new restaurant from a well-known name in the industry. Martin Bloom, the founder and former CEO of Italian chain Vinny T's, is the principal owner of Mission on the Bay, which is aiming to open this year.

Bloom sold Vinny T's in 2002, and the last branded restaurant shuttered in 2010.

Bloom chatted with the Swampscott Patch in June about the status of his new restaurant. At the time, he said the team was hoping to open by the end of this summer. Efforts to reach Bloom and Mission on the Bay to get an updated estimated were unsuccessful by deadline today.

The restaurant, a new building at 141 Humphrey St., has been erected on the site of the former Red Rock Bistro. In the works since spring 2014, developers demolished the entire existing restaurant to the surprise of town officials, Boston Restaurant Talk noted. The Zoning Board of Appeals and Historical Commission had apparently only approved partial demolition and extensive renovation. Bloom told the Lynn Daily Item that the team had found the building to be structurally deficient. An order to halt work, coupled with a couple other early holdups and the memorable winter, halted construction, which began again in earnest earlier this year.

Together with partners Robert Hoffman and Wellington Augusto, Bloom co-owns Mission Oak Grill in Newburyport, and the forthcoming restaurant on the Atlantic is named in homage to that property. Mission on the Bay will have two levels of dining, including a rooftop deck. Two large counters will anchor the interior dining room, and the kitchen will be open. Every seat in the house will have "magnificent" ocean views, Bloom said. Plus, there will be a walk-up takeout window for beachgoers.

Based on the timeline Bloom gave Patch in June, ownership should begin accepting resumes soon. A check on the area's main job posting websites doesn't reveal any listings yet.

Mission on the Bay has Facebook and Twitter pages, which have been quiet lately, but they will likely pick up when the team has news to share as it gets ready to debut in Swampscott.