The Wheelhouse under new ownership

Last edited 12:44 p.m., Oct. 25, 2023 [Editor's note: An update on the food truck has been added.]

The Wheelhouse, a Mexican-Thai fusion restaurant inside the Vib Springfield hotel, has changed ownership.

Lijah Sparlin said he and his wife, Madison, closed on the purchase of the business on Oct. 16 from founders Zach and Melissa Smallwood.  

Sparlin declined to disclose the financial terms of the acquisition. Steve Nurnberg of the Kingsley Group served as broker for the deal.  

"We've always wanted to own our own business," Sparlin said this morning. "I understand the food industry, I love service, I love hospitality, what better way to take care of people than to feed them."

Sparlin said he has industry experience as a restaurant director for Chick-fil-A. His LinkedIn profile indicates he also recently worked for Springfield-based Keep Supply, which offers industrial parts and equipment for food, beverage, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

At The Wheelhouse, Sparlin said no changes are currently planned and that he and his wife kept on the 11 employees previously working for the Smallwoods. The Sparlins continue to lease space at the Vib hotel for The Wheelhouse for undisclosed terms, he noted.  

Sparlin said the purchase did not include The Wheelhouse's food truck. Melissa Smallwood said the truck previously was sold to an undisclosed buyer who plans to use it for a new business.

The Wheelhouse's menu includes wok dishes such as drunken noodles and pad thai, as well as tacos, kimchi fries, tofu specials and falafel, according to its website.

The Smallwoods started The Wheelhouse as a food truck venture in 2012 and expanded the concept to its brick-and-mortar space in the Vib hotel in 2018, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. The first full year in Vib, starting in August 2018, set a revenue record for the restaurant, with sales exceeding $800,000 and reaching over $900,000 in 2019, according to past reporting.