The Best Western Plus Lawnfield Inn & Suites on Mentor Avenue has been told for years it should open its own restaurant.

So the owners, originally from Mentor, tapped other former Mentor residents to set up Skye, its new restaurant and bar.

Susan Miga, who is coordinating Skye's emergence, said the restaurant wants to add to Mentor's line of rich cuisine choices.

"The main reason is because the clientele asked for it," Miga said.

And the business wants to work well in Mentor, a community with no shortage of places to eat and drink.

"The idea is to bring more business to Mentor," she said when reached while vacationing in Virginia. "So that all the restaurants will benefit. The goal is to help Mentor, and so that people have another option where they can enjoy some good wine and a meal. We have people from all over the world coming into the hotel."

Miga has been involved in the food industry and has helped set up restaurants for the past 12 years.

Currently, Skye is open for breakfast. But the bar will officially open on Sept. 2; and dinner will begin Sept. 12. The menu has not been finished yet, and there are no hints at the details yet online.

At Taste of Mentor, Skye impressed tasters with some unique offerings like boneless beef short rib lollipops with truffle-infused mashed potatoes. They also served a cucumber shooter with fresh fruit and a flourless chocolate tort and pistachio cake.

The restaurant will offer more of the above choices from its dinner menu, which Miga said will be more upscale. The bar will offer "pub food," she said.