HAMPTON - A new restaurant will be opening in Hampton in the Spring. The name will be Goodman Tuck's Ordinary.

Turning to page 72 of your [Joseph Dow's] History of Hampton, you discover that there was another Goodman Tuck's Ordinary around the year 1650.

The Selectmen of the town, at that time, invited Goodman Tuck to open the first ordinary (a tavern or eating house serving regular meals). Ordinaries were "essential to the convenience and comfort of travelers" and in addition to good food, Goodman Tuck was allowed "to sell wine and strong water".

Bill Clements is the present-day owner of Goodman Tuck's Ordinary. He chose the name because it will represent the rustic and nostalgic atmosphere of the post and beam home, at 401 Lafayette Road, that he is restoring.

Upon completion of this, Bill's wife, Suzanne, who is a commercial artist by trade, will decorate the interior with such appointments as wooden shutters on the windows, all antique furniture, hanging and standing plants, and art work for the walls which she plans to vary from time to time.

There will be two dining rooms and a lounge, and the capacity will be approximately seventy people.

Bill Clements grew up in Lowell and spent many vacations at Hampton Beach. After high school, he attended Northern Essex and Boston College. Bill's family was in the restaurant business for many years, giving Bill a good apprenticeship in all phases. For a while after college, Bill worked in construction, but he gravitated back to the restaurant business because it had become so much a part of him.

Bill's menu will consist of luncheon and dinner meals plus a Sunday brunch. His desire is to serve good, hot food at a moderate price.

Lunches will feature sandwiches with a choice of soup or pan-fried potatoes. Dinners will run the gamut of meats, fowl, and seafood plus some non-meat dishes as well. Sunday brunch will offer omelettes, steak and eggs, quiche Lorraine, and eggs Benedict.

You will not find any deep fried food at Goodman Tuck's but you will find fresh local food cooked with care and attention.

We at the Atlantic News & Advertiser wish Goodman Tuck's Ordinary every success. We look forward to a restaurant which offers not only good food and relaxation, but a pleasant touch of the past as well.