Within eight months of each other, both of the businesses that make the Little Compton Commons a place to stop changed hands. Each went to a couple from town, and each couple is saying the same thing: keep it the way it was. Wilbur's General Store changed owners on January 2. The old Commons Lunch at 48 Commons reopened in August as Elsie's on the Commons. Summer was easy for both. The months ahead are the real test, because the old restaurant's reputation came from being open on the days when nothing else was.
On September 26 a nor'easter came through, and Elsie's posted on its page that it was open. "We're Little Comptoners. We're New Englanders. A little nor'easter isn't scaring us… as long as the power stays on," the restaurant wrote. "George was always open, and we're happy to carry on that hardy Little Compton tradition." George Crowther was one of the founders of the restaurant that stood on this spot for about 60 years. The new owners are measuring themselves against him.
The store came first, and set the terms
Wilbur's has been on the Commons since 1893, when CR Wilbur founded it. Catherine and David Wordell bought the business and its inventory from the Wetzel family on January 2, 2026, EastBayRI reported. The building itself was already in the family: the Wordells' extended family has owned it through 50 Commons LLC since 2018. Linda Wetzel had run the store since 2004, and her lease ended December 31, 2025.
Both Wordells were born and raised in Little Compton. Catherine worked in corporate America and David is a plumber. Catherine was plain about their plans in that EastBayRI story: "No big changes. We're working on improving and keeping the same feel, the same vibe." She also said, "We're in it for the long haul."
What they want to protect is a store where you can grab something from the deli counter and do your local shopping in a single stop. In the same article, Catherine put it in context. The Barn and Simmons were gone, and in her words, "Not much is left here now." She also described a customer who came in during the first days and said, "We miss having a place where we can all come together."
That sentence describes the Commons as it stood in early 2026. The store was steady again. Next door, the restaurant had been dark since the previous June.
Wilbur's website lists the store's hours as Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Next door, the same promise with a new name
The Crowther family closed the restaurant effective June 1, 2025, according to EastBayRI. Adam and Kaitlin Donahue now live in Portsmouth, but Kaitlin grew up in Little Compton and has her own memories of the Commons restaurant. They took over the property in late May 2026 and spent the summer on a renovation they described to The Providence Journal as "thoughtfully refreshing" the space while "keeping the character and charm that have made The Commons such a special place for generations."
The Journal reported that Kaitlin believed the Crowthers' decision to sell was likely easier because "they sold to someone from town and wanted to bring back something similar to what their family had offered."
The name is local too. Elsie is the couple's daughter. She was named for the town, since "LC," the short form of Little Compton, is pronounced "Elsie."
In July the town got a first look at an open house. No food was served because inspections were still pending. Kaitlin told the Journal that "three or four people burst into tears just overwhelmed by the excitement of having it back." Elsie's then started serving in a surprise soft opening on August 11, EastBayRI reported.
What stayed and what changed at 48 Commons
The Donahues ran an online survey asking what people wanted on the menu. It drew more than 400 responses in 24 hours, and many asked them to keep the Commons Lunch staples. The interior layout was not changed structurally. Here's how the old and new line up, based on the Journal's profile and the restaurant's own posts:
| Carried over from Commons Lunch | New at Elsie's |
|---|---|
| The counter and its spinning diner stools, with a light facelift | Navy, white and oak finishes with nautical accents |
| Johnnycakes, clam cakes and chowder | Jalapeño-cheddar pancake with hollandaise and maple syrup |
| Grilled cheese and fries | Combos named for town beaches, including the Briggs Beach breakfast and the South Shore sandwich |
| Coffee milk | Jim's Organic Coffee on the brewer |
| A sit-down breakfast and lunch counter on the Commons | A takeout window for grab-and-go orders |
| The patio facing the United Congregational Church | Extra bench seating by the koi pond, a Little Free Library out front and a bike rack out back |
The menu started small. On Facebook the restaurant said it was "simplifying things while we strengthen our systems." The express list had muffins, Belgian waffles, pancakes, The Commons breakfast sandwich, a house stuffed quahog with chourico stuffing, New England clam chowder, tomato basil soup and The Farmcoast grilled cheese. By late September the restaurant's posts were promoting a Reuben, fish and chips, corned beef hash and the Elsie's Burger, plus German chocolate cake, Grape-Nut pudding and a Brown Butter Honey Cinnamon Pumpkin Cake. Grape-Nut pudding is about as old-fashioned New England as a menu can get, and it shows which direction the kitchen is leaning.
The Journal also said the Donahues hoped to add a beer and wine list. A small cottage next to the patio survived the fire that destroyed the original restaurant roughly 25 years ago, and the couple has floated turning it into an ice cream shop or a wine bar.
The triangle Kaitlin Donahue described
In the Journal profile, Kaitlin described the full family day that the center of town can offer: breakfast, then the library, the school playground, the bike path or the nature path. "You have everything in this little triangle that you need, it was missing a spot to eat," she said. She also gave credit to A1 Pizza, the restaurant's neighbor on the Commons.
Wilbur's sits on the same Commons. With both open, a weekday morning on the Commons has a set order again:
- Coffee and a breakfast sandwich at the counter at 48 Commons, or something from the takeout window.
- A stop at Wilbur's next door for the deli counter and whatever the house needs.
- The library, the playground or the paths, all inside the same small triangle.
The restaurant is already being used as more than a breakfast stop. On October 7, Impact100 Newport County held an information session and breakfast there, and Elsie's described itself in its announcement as "a gathering place for community, connection, and a little breakfast, too." The restaurant also offers private gatherings catered in-house, plus catering for pickup or drop-off. A mid-September post said holiday catering options would be announced in October.
Why the cold months carry the weight
When the Journal profiled Elsie's on September 2, it reported the hours as daily, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., for breakfast and lunch through September. The owners hoped to eventually add an early dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. a few days a week. On winter, the Journal's wording was careful: "The goal is to make Elsie's a yearround destination, but it remains to be determined if they will stay open for the cold weather months."
A summer crowd can carry almost any restaurant near the Sakonnet shore. The old counter was valued as a fixed point in the year-round life of the town, and both new owners invoke it that way. Catherine Wordell talks about bringing back "that community feel," and Elsie's talks about carrying on George's habit of staying open. Both Donahues also have full-time jobs. Kaitlin is an assistant professor at Bridgewater State University and Adam works in marketing and sales. This first restaurant is a long-planned project the two of them are running alongside their careers.
For the latest hours at the restaurant, the Donahues point people to elsiesonthecommons.com and the restaurant's Facebook and Instagram pages. The website lists it at 48 Commons. The Herald News also covered the opening in August if you want another account of the first weeks.
Wilbur's posted hours already run seven days a week. As of the Journal's September profile, the restaurant next door had not yet decided on its winter schedule.
Changes like these, including a beloved business handed to new owners from town and a building kept in the family, are the kind of local detail we pay attention to on the Farm Coast. If you own a home near the Little Compton Commons and want to know how this year's changes fit into its value, Robert Rutley and The Blackstone Team would be glad to prepare a Concierge Home Valuation for you.
