Two months after closing as Burntwood Tavern, the rebranded Taberna Burntwood opened Nov. 5 at Mercato in North Naples.

Taberna launched on Election Day to replace Burntwood Tavern, which had operated for seven years in a Mercato space that previously had been the Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern.

“We’re real excited about the concept and opening in Mercato and being down here in Naples,” said Bret Adams, founder of the Monven Group, an Ohio-based company that operates Taberna Burntwood, Burntwood Tavern and three other restaurant concepts.

The Mercato restaurant’s difference in decor is clearly striking. Taberna is less rustic and more modern.

“We were working on this concept for quite a while and it was part of the Burntwood family, but it’s a total different look and feel,”” Adams said. “It’s a little more elevated, a little more modern.” The chef-driven quality remains that has been the foundation of the 15 Burntwood Tavern locations, Adams said, but the Taberna concepts gave the company an opportunity to reimagine the original approach.

“This is our chance to do our first restaurant again,” he said. “It’s very exciting.”

The glass-blown light fixtures, wagon wheel chandeliers, whitewashed barn wood and coppertop bar have been replaced. Wooden dividers were removed to create a more open dining room, and the full bar was expanded.

“It’s mid-century, a little more modern, a little more clean lines, really accessible. You can see everything from one spot, so it’s really more social and people feel like they’re part of an event or part of a happening,” said Peter D’Amelio, the president of the Monven Group. “The Burntwoods are beautiful in their own right. This is unique.”

The refresh extends to the exterior as well, where the 4,300-square-foot space between the longtime Bravo and future Waxin’s restaurants has been changed with a more modern facade and a new logo and signage.

“The guests that have come in — and there have been quite a few — are pretty amazed at the design and very happy with the menu,” D’Amelio said.

The menu is mostly different with new appetizers, salads, sandwiches, desserts and specialties such as steak frites, a double-cut pork chop and chargrilled fresh fish.

“We have the smash burger, we have some great apps, but we’ve chosen to move in a little more seasonal, a little more healthy. We have a tuna crudo; we have a roast chicken; we have probably the best prime rib sandwich that you’re going to have in the Naples area.”

The enhanced service model at Taberna introduces a “silent service” approach, prioritizing elevated, unobtrusive service, Adams said.

“We’re aiming for a polished casual environment that doesn’t cross into fine dining but offers a distinctly upgraded dining experience,” he said.

The North Naples location is the first Taberna Burntwood conversion, but the company does not have immediate plans to convert the other Burntwood Tavern locations in northeastern Ohio or Florida, which includes restaurants at Bell Tower and Gulf Coast Town Center in the Fort Myers area.

“We’ll assess the other four locations in Florida and identify if the market and the guest space or so would be receptive to this,” Adams said. “And if not, we are planning for the rest of the Burntwoods that don’t get converted to Taberna a refresh there, where we’ll still maintain some of the hand-hewn beams and the rustic but we update the menu, refresh the menu and introduce some of the service standards we rolled out here, but still keep it a little more casual.”

Calling Taberna a work in progress, Adams said customer reaction to the new concept will be a key to its success.

“The guest is going to tell us,” he said. “As long as we listen and pivot and react, I think we’ll have a good thing going here.”

Taberna Burntwood, 9110 Strada Place, is open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. The bar social hour is 3-6 p.m. daily.