Former Flavors MV co-owner opens 11 Circuit Restaurant and Bar

He hopes to have something for everyone. 

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There’s a somewhat new bar in town.

At the end of May, 11 Circuit Restaurant and Bar opened in Oak Bluffs. The new establishment replaces Flavors MV, which had offered American cuisine for the past two years. 

Yet the place is far from being under new management. In fact, it’s now fully owned by Ralston Francis, the former co-owner of Flavors, and a popular name in the Vineyard restaurant industry. 

Originally from Jamaica, Francis came to Martha’s Vineyard in 2012 after attending Southern New Hampshire University’s culinary school. “I love the Island … it’s laid-back, not fast-paced; I love that type of vibe,” Francis said. When Main Street Diner in Edgartown offered him a job, he knew he had to say yes.

After a year, Francis was appointed the diner’s head chef. A few years later, he bought the diner and renamed it the Edgartown Diner. “That’s where I got started,” Francis said. He still owns Edgartown Diner, which his wife and mother-in-law help to run.

In 2020, Francis partnered with the Island House Bar & Grill to create Flavors. Two years later, Francis purchased the building from the owner, and renamed the place 11 Circuit Restaurant and Bar. He chose the building because it has “a few rooms upstairs that I can rent to employees.” 

“I created a vision going forward,” Francis said. “The image that I use [on the sign] is of the Oak Bluffs Harbor, because I want to keep it an Island place where everyone can come, everyone’s welcome, and it’s like a family.”

Francis said that 11 Circuit is a “work in progress,” but that “when you step in, you’re going to get a totally different vibe from what it was before.” The place has an updated food and drink menu, as well as a new design. Since Francis now owns the building, he has more freedom to remodel.

11 Circuit serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu has an Americana flavor with Southern and Caribbean influences. Francis said, “I offer to a wide variety. Everyone has something to try on the menu.”

Francis plans to start serving late-night food in July. “We turn it into a club from 10 pm to 1 am … people drink, and who doesn’t want to eat fries after drinking?” Francis said. 

He’s also starting Sunday breakfast buffets, and is trying to do one for Father’s Day. “I want [11 Circuit] to be family-friendly,” said Francis, who named 11 Circuit’s parent company “Kiki MV” after his 1-year-old daughter. 

“It’s her little legacy, so I have to make it work,” Francis said.

4 COMMENTS

  1. Ralston & Maevis are an island success story to be celebrated. Thank you MV Times for the announcement with back story, and I look forward to reading meal reviews.

  2. This sounds very good, I can’t wait to try the new menu.
    I am especially appreciative that the owner will use the former Inn rooms for employee housing, hopefully he will update and add a few amenities to make his employees more comfortable .

  3. David’s Island House. That was the best incarnation of the building. The food, the amazing music, the fun.

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