Mt. Pleasant has its first rooftop dining experience thanks to Jim Wood, owner of
Wood Shop Social. With a few new outdoor tables at the base of the exterior stairway, and around 50 chairs in its second story above the main restaurant, the umbrella-clad dining space officially opens on Thursday, July 11 at 11:30 a.m.
“I really enjoy outdoor dining in general, and I love rooftops,” explains Wood on what inspired him to build the addition. “There’s nothing around here that has a rooftop, and I've heard plenty of people talking about it over the years, so I decided to go ahead and do it.”
![]()
Photo Credit: Courtney Jerome / Epicenter Mt. Pleasant“It’s definitely an experience,” Wood continued with anticipation during an invite-only “soft opening” evening on Tuesday, July 9.
Wood Shop Social’s new second story rooftop will be open during the restaurant’s regular hours Tuesdays through Sundays. The menu will also remain the same in both areas of the restaurant.
Similar to selecting local building partners for the space’s restaurant renovations two years ago when the Wood Shop Social first opened, Wood partnered with
Konwinski Construction again for the second story build.
Bill’s Custom Fab did the steel work.
![]()
Photo Credit: Courtney Jerome / Epicenter Mt. Pleasant
In the near future, new features will be added to the rooftop, including an electric dumbbell to transfer items upstairs, outdoor music, and televisions to watch
Central Michigan University football games.
“It’s going to be great for game days,” Wood shares of the views that can be seen from the rooftop. “You’ll be able to stare down at everybody tailgating, plus we’ll have the TV, so the games that we can televise will be on there—so you'll be able to watch it and hear it. Obviously, you can't see
inside the football field, but you can see the football field.”
Not only can diners see part of CMU’s campus from the rooftop, the
Marriott Courtyard is also in view. Wood is looking forward to sharing his unique outdoor dining experience with travelers who stay at the neighboring hotel.
![]()
Photo Credit: Courtney Jerome / Epicenter Mt. Pleasant
“We have this awesome hotel here, and unless you’re on Google searching for nearby restaurants, you can't see how close we are,” he says. “Now you'll be able to see there's a rooftop [from the hotel rooms]. So, we're hoping to bring in some of the clientele from the hotel.”
To celebrate the restaurant rooftop opening, Wood Shop Social will be offering a limited-time signature second story cocktail.
An official grand opening celebration will also soon be announced—potentially including live music at the event.
For now, Wood is focused on creating the best outdoor dining experience as possible for Mt. Pleasant area residents and visitors.
![]()
Photo Credit: Courtney Jerome / Epicenter Mt. Pleasant
“There's going to be some kinks to work out, like, anytime you open up a business; and with a restaurant, there's nine million moving pieces,” Wood shares about the new second story. “I've been doing this a long time, and my general manager has been doing it even longer, so we've mitigated as much as we can. But there's obviously some things that we're going to work through in the first days of being open.”
To experience the first Mt. Pleasant rooftop bar and restaurant, call ahead seating is recommended throughout the summer.
“We want the rooftop to be a really fun place to be!” says Wood.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.