A new bar and restaurant in Atlantic Beach on Long Island, bills itself as “a literary, cultural experience,” Publishers Weekly reports.

Beginnings, co-owned by Ben and Heather Freiser, opened in March. The venue offers a literature-inspired menu, décor, and programming for customers looking for an experience that goes beyond a typical book reading.

“When I met [Ben], he had restaurants already, so there was nothing that really had our joint influence on it,” said Heather, who studied poetry in college and is a editor and television producer, to Publishers Weekly.” “So I thought, ‘You know, it would be really interesting to do something on this [literary] theme.’”

In addition to hosting author readings—in September, Beginnings hosted Stephanie Danler, author of Sweetbitter, who read to a packed house—the restaurant offers bookshelves with a rolling ladder along the walls, a staff in t-shirts featuring book covers, and a selection of drinks inspired by “the essence of authors and their writing.” On the third Wednesday of every month, new tasting menu influenced by works of literature becomes available, and on every Monday, Beginnings hosts a children’s book club complete with readings and events.

Overall, the restaurant is appealing to a pretty broad base because it plays on the resonance of a communal gathering, Heather added. “When we do the author signings, we don’t do them at Saturday morning at 10 a.m. It’s loud in here. It’s certainly not a book reading in a traditional sense. ... It feels so much more intimate when you have an author here—it’s not the traditional sort of reading where you’re in the Strand or in the library.”

Photo Credit: Beginnings.