One Man Built a Mini Restaurant for Squirrels in His Front Yard

Having found himself bored in self-quarantine, James Vreeland from Detroit has kept himself busy by opening a restaurant in his own front yard. It’s called “Maison de Noix,” or “The Nut House” in English, and primarily serves squirrels.

“Figured now was as good a time as any to get into the restaurant game,” he said.

The concept features an al fresco dining area filled with little picnic-style tables, a wooden coat rack, and even fancy squirrel statues. Out front, the menu is on display for prospective diners to see. Their selection includes a mixed seed trio, stale bread/pizza crust, raw peanuts, and counter softened apples. 

The restaurant has become so popular that squirrels aren’t the only ones visiting. According to Vreeland, blue jays in the area also pass by, sometimes having the strangest dining arrangement requests. “Sorry for the shaky cam—there is a blue jay sitting on the camera,” he said.

And as you can see in the photos, social and physical distancing is highly enforced!

Humans do come to visit too, but only to take a peek, as space is quite limited. “The response from humans has been pretty great with people stopping all the time to take a photo or watch the frenzy, said Vreeland.

Will he be opening more locations to serve more customers? Probably not, as his front yard does not require him to pay rent while others will perhaps do. However, if you really want to see it but can’t travel to Michigan, he posted a livestream on Facebook, plus a video of the lunch crowd on Instagram. 

Vreeland isn’t the only one catering to rodentia these days. Illinois-based Maria Trezza is normally a lunchroom and playground aide, but with schools closed, she’s been selling squirrel-sized picnic tables. After her son’s tweet went viral, she’s sold 130 of them for local pickup, according to Buzzfeed News.