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By Mark Fisher
| Friday, February 3, 2012, 05:09 PM
Here’s a draft version of a story scheduled to run in Saturday’s Dayton Daily News:
Several brash upstarts are trying to capture a prime Miami Valley slice of the $35.2 billion-a-year national pizza market.
These market infiltrators are poised to open multiple new restaurants in the coming months in every corner of a southwest Ohio market already saturated by well-established Dayton-based chains such as Cassano’s Pizza King and Marion’s Piazza; by the unusually large proportion (11 of 13) of the nation’s biggest national pizza chains that have locations in the Dayton area; and by dozens of independently owned pizza shops that somehow hold their own against an onslaught of competition from national, regional and local chains.
Ohio ranks in the top 10 in pizza restaurants per capita, with about 3,300 stores statewide, according to PMQ Pizza Magazine — and the Miami Valley is certainly doing its part to maintain that ranking. The region is attractive to pizza chains for many reasons: its density of housing, a demographic mix that mirrors the country’s, proximity to major interstates, and a robust proportion of hungry college students. But pizza company officials say they know they have to bring their A-game to the Dayton area because of the fierce level of competition that grows even more intense this Super Bowl weekend, when nearly 6 out of 10 people who order from restaurants for the big game choose pizza, according to the National Restaurant Association.
“Dayton is a very competitive market, but it’s a good market,” said Chuck Winters, franchise owner of two Godfather’s Pizza restaurants that are among the challengers to the Miami Valley’s existing pizza hierarchy. “The competition is so high that you have to excel in every area to succeed. Everything you do has to be outstanding.”
Here’s just a small taste of the latest efforts to capture the palates, allegiances and dollars of the Miami Valley’s pizza enthusiasts:
— Romeo’s Pizza, a Cleveland-based chain, is poised to open its second Dayton-area location later this month, in Kettering, a year after opening its Beavercreek location. A third Romeo’s will likely open in the Englewood area in late 2012, and franchise owners will then look to open two more, in Troy and Piqua, according to Stan Combs, operations manager for Romeo’s Dayton-area stores. The Dayton area, Combs said, “is a tough market — and it’s going to get tougher,” but he sees a bright future for Romeo’s in the region.
— Jet’s Pizza, a Michigan-based chain and the nation’s 13th-largest, is a month or two away from opening its second Dayton-area location, this one in Beavercreek. The new store will boost Jet’s local presence beyond the existing store on Far Hills Avenue in Washington Twp., which opened in 2009. Jet’s officials are already looking for a third location, probably in the Springboro area, to open in 2013, according to Drew Jenkins, Jet’s general manager. “The idea is to expand throughout the entire Dayton area,” Jenkins said.
— Cousin Vinny’s Pizza — a Dayton-based chain that has grown to 11 locations throughout the Miami Valley, with much of that growth in the last three years — plans to open two more locations before the end of this year, one in the Mason area on or near Tylersville Road, and one that would serve the Tipp City-Troy area, according to Rick Allen, co-owner of Cousin Vinny’s. “We know there’s a market here for good pizza,” said Allen, whose stores stay open until 3 a.m. or later to capture the late-night (or early-morning) crowd.
— Godfather’s Pizza, the nation’s 10th largest chain and based in Omaha, Nebraska, operates restaurants in Huber Heights and Centerville. “We’ve been well-received here, so we’re looking the whole area over,” franchise owner Winters said about his expansion plans.
— Dewey’s Pizza, based in Cincinnati, is planning a new restaurant in downtown Centerville to add to its existing Dayton-area location near the University of Dayton, while another Cincinnati-based chain, LaRosa’s, now has five locations in the Dayton area and a dozen total in Dayton and northern Cincinnati.
— Established Dayton-based chains are fighting back against this attempted poaching of the local pizza market: Marion’s Piazza later this month will open its first new location in more than two decades — a 500-seat restaurant in Troy — and will follow later this year with another new location, its ninth overall, in Mason, according to Roger Glass, Marion’s CEO. Meanwhile, Cassano’s Pizza King opened a new Centerville store in November that plans to renovate several of its other 32 stores, using the new Centerville store as a prototype.
— And it’s not just pizza shops that are competing for a slice of the market: Dorothy Lane Market, a three-store grocery chain, built a special oven in the middle of its Washington Twp. store in 2011 for the sole purpose of producing Neopolitan-style pizzas that can cook in as little as 90 seconds. And of course pizzas are available from many other establishments, including several local Italian restaurants, from bars and taverns, and from grocery store and convenience store deli cases.
All are riding a national trend. Pizza sales in the U.S. have been on the rise, increasing 2.2 percent in 2010 to $35.2 billion, the most recent year that sales figures are available, according to PMQ Pizza magazine’s 2011 Pizza Power Report released in September 2011. And that gain came despite 1 percent drop in the total number of pizza restaurants nationwide, to 65,283.
The economic downturn has helped drive up pizza restaurants’ sales, as consumers gravitated toward foods they found familiar, comforting and relatively inexpensive, said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based food service research and consulting firm. And pizza restaurants have expanded their menu offerings to include chicken wings, sandwiches, salads and desserts, also boosting sales.
Young families pressed for time are cooking less at home than their predecessors did, but they still want to eat their dinners at home, Tristano said. They can’t afford to eat out frequently, making a carryout pizza dinner eaten at home an appealing option, he said.
But what is it about the Miami Valley and southwest Ohio that makes it such an attractive market for pizza restaurants? Tristano said Dayton’s demographics are representative of the country as a whole, making the region a tempting test market of sorts for companies evaluating new products — and for pizza chains gauging the interest in their style of pizza. And it doesn’t hurt that Dayton is a college town, with a core group of consumers in just the right age range for prime pizza appreciation.
Officials at some of the chains that are relatively new to the region also pointed out that the Miami Valley has dozens of neighborhoods with single-family houses packed fairly close together — a plus for pizza chains that focus on delivery. Such housing patterns put more potential customers within a short drive of new pizza restaurants, helping ensure delivery of a pizza that is hot and fresh, and making pizza pickups more convenient.
Tristan Koehler, franchisee for 19 of Domino’s Pizza’s Dayton-area locations, said the Midwest has an unusually high concentration of pizza restaurants, perhaps because many of the chains originated here, including Domino’s, which started in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1960. Koehler said his franchise stores, including one adjacent to the University of Dayton that is open 24 hours, had a strong year in 2011, despite higher costs of dough, cheese and other food products as well as other supplies.
Cassano’s Pizza King — founded in 1953 and a pioneer along with Marion’s in the thin-crust, square-cut pies that have become a signature of sorts for Dayton-bred pizza — isn’t about to change its style to emulate the national chains’ offerings, said Chris Cassano, the company’s president.
“We have nearly 60 years of history and a ton of local customers,” Cassano said. “It’s a Dayton thing. That’s something that we can offer that others can’t: your childhood.” The walls of Cassano’s restaurants celebrate that history with nostalgic photos of decades past. And the chain recently resurrected some of the menu offerings of a separate restaurant concept that his grandfather, Vic Cassano, launched in the 1970s, and started offering London Bobby Fish & Chips at its Kettering store, along with its Trenton store.
Roger Glass, the son of Marion’s Piazza founder Marion Glass, said his restaurants are weathering the spike in competition well: the chain founded in 1965 had record sales in 2011, he said. But his restaurants, with their large dining rooms, cater more to the eat-in crowd and to large parties, and does not have delivery, which is the segment that most of the new pizza chains are seeking.
Despite the intense competition from national, local and regional chains, locally owned independent pizza restaurants are finding ways to survive, and even thrive.
“We’re holding steady,” said John Shearer, owner of Joe’s Pizzeria at Smithville Road and Airway Road, which has been around for a half-century and which now shares the intersection with a Domino’s Pizza shop right across the street. “We have a strong customer base that grew up in this neighborhood, and whenever they’re in the area, they have to stop at Joe’s. And we’re still pulling in new customers all the time.
“As long as you put out the quality, people will come.”
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Food trends & eating habits, Local restaurant news, Restaurant industry news
By Mark Fisher
| Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 07:31 AM
OAKWOOD — Sweet Nothings Luxury Confections will become a “pop-up” bakery for two days only, Feb. 13-14, inside Get Dressed! Boutique at 2501 Far Hills Ave.
A variety of baked goods, including coffee cakes, brownies,cookies and sea salt toffee, will be available in the store and can be ordered in advance from the Sweet Nothings web site.
Sweet Nothings, a Centerville-based “cottage industry” business, began selling its sea-salt toffee at the PNC Second Street Market in December.
Get Dressed! Boutique is located in the Shops of Oakwood and offers apparel, jewelry, and accessories. Tracey Schumann, the boutique’s owner, said she carried the Sea Salt Toffee in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and the toffee was a hit with customers.
Pop-up businesses have been a trend on the east and west coasts, allowing businesses to gauge interest in and promote their products and receive customer feedback.
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Local restaurant news
By Mark Fisher
| Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 03:19 PM
Here’s a draft version of a story that is scheduled to run in Wednesday’s Dayton Daily News:
A closely watched barometer of the restaurant industry nationwide surged to its highest level in nearly six years, the National Restaurant Association announced Tuesday in a development that could help fuel the economic recovery.
Because the restaurant and food-service industry employs an estimated one out of 10 Americans, an expansion in that sector could provide a much-needed spark to what has been a rather bleak jobs outlook.
The restaurant association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) rose sharply in December, assisted by a mild winter, solid same-store sales and a bullish outlook among restaurant operators, association officials said. In addition, restaurant operators’ plans for capital spending on new equipment and renovations rose to its highest level in more than four years, a positive sign for construction and restaurant-supply companies both locally and nationally.
Some Miami Valley restaurant owners said ample evidence of the national surge is showing up in their dining rooms.
Lori Camplin, co-owner of Chappys Tap Room and Grille in Moraine, said that Chappy’s set all-time, single-day sales records twice on consecutive Saturdays in January — traditionally a comparatively slow month for restaurants. And during last week’s Restaurant Week promotion, Chappys sold 512 special three-course meals, up from 394 last year.
“I would definitely say the national data is accurate — we have been on an upward trend since October and November,” Camplin said. “We had a lot of new faces in here last week, and we were thrilled to see that.”
That growing optimism helped prompt Lori and her husband Dave Camplin to decide to renovate Chappys patio this spring, to “give it more of a courtyard setting” and possibly add music, she said. There’s no cost estimate for the renovation yet, but such spending on renovation and expansion projects by restaurants has a positive impact on other businesses.
Dan Young — owner of Young’s Jersey Dairy and the Golden Jersey Inn at 6880 Springfield-Xenia Road (U.S. 68) in Clark County north of Yellow Springs — said he too is seeing several positive signs both inside his restaurants an in the broader restaurant sector.
“Our sales were up in November and December, and are up quite a bit in January,” Young said. “I think it’s due in part to the very mild winter, and of course, last year was especially cold and snowy, so being up in sales and guest counts compared to last year isn’t that amazing. But still, we’ve had a strong beginning for the year.”
Young’s Dairy customers, Young said, “are feeling better about the economy than the past few years — not anywhere near wildly optimistic, but better. Other operators I have talked to are seeing similar trends. I certainly hear more talk of upgrading/remodeling and opening new units here and there. I think the current economic conditions in Ohio, and in the Dayton-Springfield are specifically, are looking better for the first time in many years.”
Dan Bushong, owner of Bushong Restaurant Equipment in Dayton, said he sees a brighter outlook than he did three or four years ago. Many independently owned restaurants have been holding off on replacing equipment for the last couple of years because of the soft economy. “At some point they just can’t duct-tape things together anymore,” Bushong said. “We are seeing a lot of activity in the replacement market because of that.”
New construction by independent restaurants started to accelerate about six months ago, although corporate-owned restaurants, which have been the driving forced in equipment sales, remain “very conservative” in their expenditures, Bushong said.
Ohio Restaurant Association spokesman Jarrod Clabaugh said the state’s restaurants employ about 525,000 people and are a driving force in Ohio’s economy. “In addition to representing 10 percent of the state’s employment, restaurants are the cornerstones of their communities, and stronger food-service sales often reflect upticks in both consumer spending and overall optimism in the economy,” Clabaugh said.
The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry, although it doesn’t break down its numbers by state. The RPI stood at 102.2 in December, up 1.6 percent from November. In addition, December represented the third time in the last four months that the RPI stood above 100, which signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators, association officials said.
“Aided by favorable weather conditions in many parts of the country, a solid majority of restaurant operators reported higher same-store sales and customer traffic levels in December,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the association. “In addition, restaurant operators are solidly optimistic about sales growth in the months ahead, and their outlook for the economy is at its strongest point in nearly a year. Coupled with the solid November results, the RPI’s impressive December performance bodes well for continued positive industry momentum in the year ahead.”
Sixty-nine percent of restaurant operators reported a same-store sales gain between December 2010 and December 2011, while only 18 percent reported a same-store sales decline. This marked the strongest net positive sales performance since February 2004. Customer traffic counts also were up, and 55 percent of restaurant operators plan to make a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling in the next six months, up from 47 percent in November and the strongest level in more than four years.
The RPI is based on the responses to the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey, which is fielded monthly among restaurant owners and operators nationwide on a variety of indicators including sales, traffic, labor, and capital expenditures.
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Restaurant industry news
By Mark Fisher
| Tuesday, January 31, 2012, 06:59 AM
KETTERING — What’s old is new again: Cassano’s Pizza King has brought London Bobby Fish & Chips back to the Dayton area, about 30 years after the last London Bobby restaurant closed.
The London Bobby Fish & Chips menu was added to the Cassano’s Pizza King restaurant menu at 1680 E. Stroop Road. The headquarters and commissary of the 33-store Cassano’s pizza chain are housed in an adjacent building.
The first of the second-generation London Bobby restaurants opened in Trenton in late 2010, also in an existing Cassano’s. If the newly offered fish and chips menu goes over well, it will show up at a handful of other Cassano’s locations in the Miami Valley, perhaps later this year, according to Chris Cassano, president of Cassano’s Pizza King and part of the third generation of the Cassano family now operating the local chain.
Cassano’s founder Vic Cassano launched the London Bobby Fish & Chips chain in the 1970s and operated several free-standing stores in the Dayton area until the early 1980s. Chris Cassano said he and his siblings — company CEO Vic “Chip” Cassano III and Lora Cassano Hammons, the company’s director of community relations — wanted to bring back one of their grandfather’s other restaurant concepts. The response has been encouraging, and several customers remember the previous incarnation of London Bobby, he said.
Additional expansion will occur within existing pizza stores; there are no current plans for free-standing London Bobby locations, Cassano said. That will keep the costs of expanding the London Bobby brand down, since the overhead and employees are already in place in the pizza restaurants, he said.
The London Bobby locations offer beer-battered fish, shrimp and chicken, with sides of fries, hush puppies, onion rings and creamy cole slaw.
Cassano’s Pizza King began in Dayton in 1953. Two months ago, it opened a new restaurant in Centerville, the decor of which will serve as a model for upcoming renovations of existing stores, Cassano said.
The Kettering restaurant’s hours are 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday. To place an order, call the Cassano’s call center at (937) 294-5464.
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Local restaurant news
By Mark Fisher
| Friday, January 27, 2012, 02:41 PM
Don’t forget, Restaurant Week isn’t over — it extends through the weekend and includes Sunday, at most participating restaurants, anyway.
I haven’t made it out to as many dinners as I have in the past, but I’m still interested in hearing about your Restaurant week experiences, and I hope to compile them for a story in the Dayton Daily News. So please link to our Facebook page below and let us know where you dined and how it went!
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Local restaurant news
By Mark Fisher
| Thursday, January 26, 2012, 03:30 PM
We all know about the traditional Valentine’s Day dining destinations, the most romantic (and often rather pricy) restaurants in town.
But where would YOU go for an alternative Valentine’s Day celebration? You know, something in the spirit of White Castle’s Valentine Day, but not exactly that. An inexpensive place, a place that won’t be busy, something, we daresay, unconventional.
Post your suggestions on our Facebook page (the link also is below this entry), and we might just come up with a little list …
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Just for Fun
By Mark Fisher
| Thursday, January 26, 2012, 06:27 AM
TROY — Marion’s Piazza’s newest restaurant — the Dayton-based pizza chain’s first expansion in more than two decades — is scheduled to open in Troy on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, and another new restaurant will follow later this year in Mason, according to Roger Glass, CEO of the Dayton-based pizza chain.
The new Troy restaurant — located at 1270 Experiment Farm Road off of West Main Street (Ohio 41) near I-75 — will employ 50 and will seat about 500, including 80 on an outdoor patio, Glass said. It will include a game room and a banquet room that will be available for general dining.
This is the eighth Marion’s pizza restaurant in the Miami Valley and the first new location since 1991, when 46-year-old chain opened a restaurant at Town & Country Shopping Center in Kettering. In 2008, the company also built a new restaurant on Kingsridge Drive in Miami Twp. after fire destroyed a previous store there.
A ninth Marion’s Piazza is planned for Mason later this year, Glass said. It will be located at the Tylersville Road and Snider Road intersection, across Snider Road from a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant. Construction is scheduled to begin this spring, with a target opening in early to mid-November, Glass said.
Troy and Mason were attractive sites for expansion because both cities are doing relatively well economically and have a solid base of industries and other development, Glass said. In addition, the two cities are far enough away from Dayton so as not to compete with existing Marion’s Piazza locations, but close enough to be supplied out of the Dayton-based commissary, he said.
There are no immediate plans for additional expansion. “We don’t grow very fast, but we do it on our own time frame,” said Glass, the son of the chain’s founder, Marion Glass. And the chain is careful to avoid significant debt when it builds new restaurants.
“The Troy store will be paid for on the day it opens,” Glass said. “That’s the way my dad did it, that’s the way we still do it, and it seems to work.”
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Restaurant openings
By Mark Fisher
| Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 07:06 AM
DAYTON — Thai 9 restaurant at 11 Brown St. in the Oregon Historic District will celebrate its ninth anniversary from Monday, Jan. 30 through Thursday, Feb. 2.
Diners during the dinner service on those four nights will receive a free dessert with every entree purchased, according to Thai 9 owner Rob Strong. In addition, special menu offerings will be available each of those four nights from the kitchen and from Thai 9’s sushi bar.
Strong recalled the “crazy” first night of Feb. 1, 2003, when the restaurant was “completely overwhelmed” by the first-night response. “Nine years later we have a staff of 50, and we are constantly busy,” Strong said. “We are thanking our lucky stars for that.”
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By Mark Fisher
| Tuesday, January 24, 2012, 07:16 AM
CENTERVILLE — Culinary Company at 101 E. Alex Bell Road in the Cross Pointe Center has added a few new options to its restaurant service.
The combined restaurant and kitchenware store is now serving set-menu dinners on Friday and Saturday nights, by reservation only, according to Jeff Aylor, the store’s owner and the host of the “In the Kitchen with Chef Jeff” show on WHIO radio Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The restaurant is rotating a set of 10 menus, and menu details are available on the Culinary Company events page. The theme of this weekend’s five-course dinner is Mexican, and the first weekend in February features an Italian-themed dinner. Prices vary by the types of cuisine.
“The fun thing about the dinners is that they are very interactive and quite different than the normal restaurant experience,” Aylor said.
In addition, the Culinary Company has started serving a Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for $12.
For more information, go to the Culinary Company Facebook page or call 937-433-4335.
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By Mark Fisher
| Monday, January 23, 2012, 03:54 PM
DAYTON — An Oakwood mother and daughter who have operated an online-only bakery will open a storefront bakery and dessert shop called Moore Dessert Please! at 1003 Shroyer Road in Dayton by April, according to a news release.
The bakery is headed by 22-year-old Brittany Moore and her mother Tina Moore, and specializes in cupcakes, cake pops and other items.
Brittany Moore, who graduated from Oakwood High School in 2008, said in an interview that establishing a storefront will boost visibility and exposure of the business and “will allow us to reach a larger market.” The Shroyer Road space, just north of Oakwood, formerly housed 808 Studios, a photography service.
For more information, check out the Moore Dessert Please! Facebook page.
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Restaurant openings
By Mark Fisher
| Monday, January 23, 2012, 03:09 PM
This story was updated Feb. 4, 2012 to reflect the fact that Micahel J. Burdge of Dayton became Eva Christian’s attorney in a civil lawsuit described below effective Jan. 31, 2012.
The trial of Boulevard Haus owner Eva Christian, charged with five felony counts accusing her of insurance fraud, has been postponed until April.
But Christian is due in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court next week to explain to a judge why she should not be held in contempt of court for failing to comply with court orders to produce documents and provide testimony in a civil case in which she is being sued by The Cincinnati Insurance Co. The company paid a $52,000 insurance claim to Christian after she reported a break-in at her Washington Twp. home in October 2009. She reported that televisions, computers, jewelry, rare coins and a safe containing cash were stolen, according to a police report.
The Cincinnati Insurance Company and Montgomery County sheriff’s investigators believe that the burglary was staged, according to the insurance company’s lawsuit filed against Christian in July. That break-in, along with a second incident on Christmas Eve 2009 involving reported vandalism and a fire at the now-defunct Cena Brazilian Steakhouse restaurant in Miami Twp. that Christian owned, are the basis of the criminal charges filed against the restaurant owner in March 2011.
Christian faces one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in state prison, and four lesser felony counts: two of insurance fraud and two of making false alarms.
She has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and in an interview has called the accusations against her “absolutely absurd and false.” The restaurant owner is free on her own recognizance after posting a $10,000 surety bond. Boulevard Haus remains open and is operating business as usual.
The trial on the criminal charges, which had been scheduled to begin in late February, was pushed back to April 23 by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Barbara P. Gorman, according to court records.
But in the civil case, Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Gregory F. Singer has ordered Christian to appear Feb. 2 to explain why she hasn’t complied with the judge’s July 21, 2011 order to provide documents and testimony in the case.
The insurance company has tried to get Christian to submit to an examination under oath, as required by her insurance policy, but Christian has refused, citing her Fifth Amendment rights against incriminating herself. The lawsuit seeks to force her to comply with the questioning.
The restaurant owner’s former attorneys, John Smith and Mark Webb of Springboro, had attempted to stop the proceedings of the civil case while the criminal charges were pending. Six weeks ago, a three-judge panel of the Second District Court of Appeals rejected Christian’s appeal, ruling that her testimony and documents requested by the insurance company can be furnished to Judge Singer for his determination whether her assertion of her Fifth Amendment right should apply.
Christian recently hired Dayton attorney Bobby Joe Cox to represent her in the criminal case, and Dayton attorney Michael J. Burdge became Christian’s attorney of record in the civil case as of Jan. 31, 2012, according to court records.
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By Mark Fisher
| Monday, January 23, 2012, 08:35 AM
The Submarine House, the Dayton-based chain of seven sub shops, is bringing back its Cheesesteak Challenge, this time benefitting Dayton’s Children’s Medical Center. And it starts today, Jan. 23.
From today through March 18, diners can attempt to eat a 16-inch Super Duper Cheesesteak — more than two-and-a-half pounds of food — in 16 minutes or less. Those who succeed in the challenge win their sandwich for free, along with a T-shirt. The ten best qualifying times from each location will win a spot in the contest’s semifinals the week of March 19. Each of the seven store winners will then be invited to participate in the finals at 1 p.m. March 31 at the Submarine House’s Beavercreek Bar & Grill at Dayton-Xenia Road and North Fairfield Road in the Kroger shopping center.
A panel of celebrity judges will be on hand at the finals, including K-99-FM’s Frye Guy and WHIO-AM’s Larry Hansgen. The fastest of the seven store finalists will be crowned the Cheesesteak Champion. Donations for Dayton Children’s Medical Center will be collected at all Submarine House locations throughout the contest. For locations or to view the full rules of the contest, visit www.submarinehouse.com.
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By Mark Fisher
| Monday, January 23, 2012, 07:18 AM
DAYTON — Diamond D’s Diner at 2301 Germantown St. is marking its first anniversary this week and is promoting its catering services as it enters its second year.
It also is asking for community support.
“The support of the diner by the residents has been very heartwarming, but with the condition of the state of the economy, more support is needed in order to keep the doors open,” Diamond D’s owner Barbara Vinzant said in a letter to local businesses and organizations. Vinzant invited companies and individuals to utilize Diamond D’s catering services.
“The diner is ready, willing and able to cater your next event no matter how large or small,” Vinzant said, and free delivery service is available for orders of $25 or more.
Diamond D’s Diner opened on Jan. 28, 2011 in a building that formerly housed a Church’s Chicken restaurant on Germantown Street at Adelite Avenue. The building had been vacant for about 16 years and required extensive renovation prior to opening.
The diner’s current winter hours are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call (937) 268-3000.
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By Mark Fisher
| Friday, January 20, 2012, 07:20 AM
MIAMI TWP., Montgomery County — Rue Dumaine will move from its Washington Twp. location to the new Austin Landing development off I-75 in southern Montgomery County, where it also will launch a companion restaurant called Alligator Annie’s, according to commercial real estate firm RG Properties, which is developing Austin Landing.
In addition, owners of the Dublin Pub in Dayton will team up with the owners of Archer’s Tavern in Centerville to open a third new independent restaurant, described by RG Properties as an Irish Pub, at Austin Landing. Both the existing Dublin Pub and Archer’s will remain open, RG Properties said. The new venture will be called The Dublin Pub, an RG Properties spokeswoman said this morning.
The new restaurants are expected to open in 2013.
Rue Dumaine owners Tom Sand and Anne Kearney have contemplated the Alligator Annie’s concept for some time: an Alligator Annie’s Facebook page was launched more than a year ago, although Sand declined to discuss the venture shortly after the page appeared. RG Properties said Alligator Annie’s will “take the form of a casual Southern-style social club and will offer lunch and dinner service seven days a week.”
Kearney said this morning that the new Rue Dumaine will serve lunch Monday through Friday — at its current location, lunch is served only on Fridays. It also will have expanded bar seating as well as separate dining areas for private parties, which the current restaurant cannot accommodate. The seating capacity of the main dining room will remain about the same as the current restaurant’s 82 seats, she said.
Alligator Annie’s will have televisions and will be more accommodating to children, and will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Kearney said. The seating capacity hasn’t been determined.
Randy Gunlock, president of RG Properties, said in his company’s news release that it is fitting that the first restaurants to open at Austin Landing will be independents.
“There is a great history of creativity and innovation in our city, and a long line of great independent restaurants we want reflected at Austin Landing,” Gunlock said. “Independent restaurants offer a unique experience and reflect the soul of the region—a feeling we hope to capture at Austin Landing.”
Construction of the three restaurants is scheduled to begin later this year, with a target of a spring 2013 opening date, RG Properties said. Rue Dumaine and Alligator Annie’s will be housed in a 10,600-square-foot building, while the Dublin Pub will open in a 6,000-square-foot building, the firm said.
The restaurants will create an estimated 140 new jobs for the region, RG Properties said.
RG Properties is active in conversations with a number of other restaurants, targeting small and large chains as well as independents, with a goal of eight to 10 restaurants total, four or five full-service restaurants and four or five fast-casual restaurants, the company’s news release said.
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By Mark Fisher
| Thursday, January 19, 2012, 07:51 AM
This story that is scheduled to run in tomorrow’s Dayton Daily News ActiveDayton section is designed to tell you darn near everything you could ever want to know about Restaurant Week — and then some. Made your reservations yet?
More than 60 restaurants throughout the Miami Valley have signed up to offer special three-course meals as part of Winter Restaurant Week, which returns for am eight-day engagement starting Sunday, Jan. 22 and extending through the following Sunday, Jan. 29.
Miami Valley Restaurant Association member restaurants that choose to participate in the promotion decide in advance the price they’ll charge Restaurant Week diners: $20.12, $25.12 or $30.12 for a three-course meal from a special menu. Most restaurants choose the least expensive $20.12 option, although some restaurants are offering customers different meal options at two or three of the price points, while some casual restaurants are offering two meals, rather than one, for $20.12 or $25.12.
The twice-a-year promotion has become wildly popular with local diners: more than 13,000 Restaurant Week meals were sold in winter 2011, and more than 14,000 in summer 2011, when the offer was extended from six to eight nights to encompass one full weekend.
Participating restaurants donate $1 for each Restaurant Week meal they sell to charity. This winter, the charities selected by the restaurant association to benefit are United Rehabilitation Services (URS) of Greater Dayton, a non-profit organization that has provided services to adults and children with disabilities or other special needs since 1956, and Hearts for Hounds, a group of Dayton-area volunteers working in conjunction with the Humane Society of Greater Dayton to improve the quality of life for dogs living outdoors in Montgomery County.
Lonnie Sholar — general manager and executive chef of Joya’s Bistro at The Greene in Beavercreek, one of about half-dozen restaurants that are participating in Restaurant Week for the first time — said he views the promotion “as a way to get our name out there” to potential customers. Although Sholar hadn’t solidified his Restaurant Week menu offerings yet, he was leaning toward offering diners a choice of four entrees, including Seafood Ravioli with White Buerre Blanc Sauce and Spaghetti with Meatballs.
Sholar said he is aware that restaurants can get slammed hard during Restaurant Week, and is gearing up for it. “We’ll be fully staffed — it will be ‘all hands on deck,’” he said.
Other first-time Restaurant Week participants include Taste in Trotwood, De’Lish in downtown Dayton, Louisiana Grill in Washington Twp., Neil’s Heritage House in Kettering, The Bridge in Sidney and the Troy Country Club, which will open to the public for dinner for the week, according to Amy Zahora, executive director of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association.
The Restaurant Week promotion “has a huge impact on local restaurants, because that week otherwise would be in the middle of a very slow period,” Zahora said. “This puts customers back into restaurant seats, where they’re spending money while also saving money on their dinner. And it all benefits local charities.”
Restaurants look for ways to fully capitalize on diners’ enthusiasm for Restaurant Week. Some open their doors on days of the week when they’re normally closed — The Caroline in Troy, for example, will open on Monday, and l’Auberge will be open for dinner both Sundays of Restaurant Week (Jan. 22 and Jan. 29) and also will serve the special on Monday January 30 — — while others extend the offer beyond one week.
To view the latest list of which restaurants are participating in Restaurant Week, look at menus and find out which of the three price tiers each restaurants is choosing, go to this link on www.dineoutdayton.org.
Restaurant Week: A few things to remember
— Reservations are, in many cases, essential, because eateries fill up fast. Restaurant owners and managers strongly recommend calling to check on availability and hours.
— Be aware that some restaurants are closed on Sundays or Mondays — or in some cases both days — so calling ahead will avoid disappointment. In some cases, restaurants that are normally closed on those days open because of Restaurant Week.
— Tax, tip and beverages are not included in the special price.
Restaurants participating in Winter 2012 Restaurant Week*
Alex’s on 725, 125 Monarch Lane, Miamisburg, (937) 866-2266
Amber Rose, 1400 Valley St., Dayton, (937) 228-2511
Amelia’s Bistro, 129 W. Franklin St., Bellbrook, (937) 310-3040
Bahn Mai Thai Cafe, 725 Lyons Road, Washington Twp., (937) 435-0624
Barleycorns, 6204 Wilmington Pike, Sugarcreek Plaza , Centerville, (937) 848-6999
Boulevard Haus, 329 E. Fifth St., Dayton, (937) 824-2722
The Bridge, 127 W. Poplar St., Sidney, (937) 492-2542
Brixx Ice Company, 500 E. First St., Dayton, (937) 222-2257
Buckhorn Tavern, 8800 Meeker Road, Butler Twp., (937) 890-3261
Bullwinkle’s Top Hat Bistro, 19 N. Main St. Miamisburg, (937) 859-7677
Bunker’s Bar & Grill, 893 E. National Road, Vandalia, (937) 890-8899
Butter Cafe, 1106 Brown St., Dayton, (937) 985-9917
Carmel’s Southwest Grill, 1025 Shroyer Road, Dayton, (937) 294-1261
The Caroline, 5 S. Market St., Troy, (937) 552-7676
Carvers Steaks & Chops, 1535 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Washington Twp., (937) 433-7099
CBCB Bar & Grill, 2495 Commons Blvd., Beavercreek, (937) 426-3287
C’est Tout, 2600 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood, (937) 298-0022
Chappy’s Tap Room & Grille, 2733 W. Alex-Bell Road, Moraine, (937) 299-7427
The Chop House, 7727 Washington Village Drive, Washington Twp., (937) 291-1661
Christopher’s Restaurant, 2318 E. Dorothy Lane, Kettering, (937) 299-0089
Coco’s Bistro, 515 Wayne Ave., Dayton, (937) 228-2626
Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers, 1060 Patterson Road in Breitenstrater Square, Dayton, (937) 253-7383
Dark Horse Tavern, 209 Byers Road, Miamisburg, (937) 866-6960
De’Lish, 139 N. Main St., Dayton (937) 461-2233
The Dock, 250 W. Main St., Enon, (937) 864-5011
Dublin Pub, 300 Wayne Ave., Dayton, (937) 224-7822
El Meson, 903 E. Dixie Drive, West Carrollton, (937) 859-8229
Figlio, 424 E. Stroop Road in the Town & Country center, Kettering, (937) 534-0494
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, 4432 Walnut St. at The Greene, Beavercreek, (937) 320-9548
Franco’s Ristorante Italiano, 824 E. Fifth St., Dayton, (937) 222-0204
Fresco, 3141 Far Hills Ave., Kettering, (937) 296-0600
Giovanni’s Pizzeria and Ristorante, 215 W. Main St., Fairborn, (937) 878-1611
Giulano’s an Anticoli Tavern, 67 S. Main St., Miamisburg, (937) 859-3000
Hawthorn Grill, 1222 E. Stroop Road, Kettering, (937) 298-2222
Hickory River Smokehouse, 135 S. Garber Drive, Tipp City, (937) 669-2271
House of Kabab, 298 N Main St., Centerville, (937) 424-9262
Jay’s Restaurant, 225 E. Sixth St., Dayton, (937) 222-2892
Joya’s Bistro, 81 Magnolia Lane, The Greene in Beavercreek, (937) 912-9344
Kabuki, 848 S. Main St., Centerville, (937) 435-9500
L’Auberge, 4120 Far Hills Road, Kettering, (937) 299-5536
La Piazza, 2 N. Market St., Troy, (937) 339-5553
Louisiana Grill, 2094 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Washington Twp., (937) 436-3028
Mamma DiSalvo’s, 1375 E. Stroop Road, Kettering, (937) 299-5831
McCormick & Schmick’s, 4429 Cedar Park Drive at The Greene, Beavercreek, (937) 431-9200
Meadowlark, 5531 Far Hills Ave., Washington Twp., (937) 434-4750
The Melting Pot, 453 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Washington Twp., (937) 567-8888
Michael Anthony’s at the Inn, 21 W. Main St., Versailles, (937) 526-3020
Mr. Lee’s Fine Dining, 7580 Poe Ave, Vandalia, (937) 898-3860
Neil’s Heritage House, 2323 W. Schantz Road, Kettering, (937) 298-8611
Nick’s Restaurant, 1443 N. Detroit St., Xenia, (937) 372-3202
Oakwood Club, 2414 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood, (937) 293-6973
Palermo’s Restaurant, 2667 South Dixie Drive, Kettering, (937) 299-8888
Pasha Grill, 72 Plum St., The Greene, Beavercreek, (937) 429-9000
Pepito’s Mexican Restaurant, 3618 Wilmington Pike, Kettering, 937-293-3777
Rue Dumaine, 1061 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Washington Twp., (937) 610-1061
Sai Bai Asian Cuisine, 300 South Jefferson St., Dayton, (937) 535-2900
Savona Restaurant and Wine Bar, 79 S. Main St., Centerville, (937) 610-9835
Side Bar Restaurant, 410 E. Fifth St., Dayton, (937) 723-9415
Spinoza’s Gourmet Pizza & Salads, 2727 Fairfield Common Blvd., Beavercreek, (937) 426-7799
Sunrise Cafe, 259 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs, 937-767-7211
Sweeney’s Seafood, 28 W. Franklin St., Centerville, (937) 291-3474
Taste, 2555 Shiloh Springs Rd., Trotwood, (937) 854-7060
TJ Chumps, 1100 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, Fairborn, (937) 318-1250
Toscani’s, 5900 Bigger Road, Kettering, (937) 291-9200
Troy Country Club, 1830 Peters Road, Troy, (937) 335-5691
Wellington Grille, 2450 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek, (937) 426-4600
Winds Cafe, 215 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs, (937) 767-1144
- There are often last-minute changes and additions to the list of participating restaurants, so you want to check this link on www.dineoutdayton.org or call your favorite restaurant to confirm. Menus and prices for most of the participating restaurants also are available at that MVRA website:
Source: www.dineoutdayton.org; MVRA Executive Director Amy Zahora
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