Badin vs. Fredericktown
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
New owner to transform Kettering sports bar into restaurant-pub
KETTERING — The Monkeez Sports Bar that opened nearly a year ago in the former Sports Deck at 3808 Wilmington Pike has closed, and a new owner is preparing to open a restaurant-pub called Buckin’ Donkey Grille at that location.
New owner Sean McKown of Kettering is painting and renovating the structure and said he hopes to open by late January or early February with a new menu and focus.
“I want families to feel comfortable here,” McKown said. “I’m concentrating on being more of a restaurant than a corner bar.”
But Buckin’ Donkey won’t entirely abandon its sports-bar roots: Pittsburgh native McKown said the pub will be a “Steelers Bar” during NFL season Sundays.
McKown has 23 years experience working at several bars and restaurants in the Miami Valley and in Arizona, including Dayton-area establishments Oregon Express, Harrigan’s, LC Wing Co. and Barleycorn’s. He said he has been looking to open his own place for several years. The Buckin’ Donkey menu will include daily specials at both lunch and dinner, along with burgers, sandwiches, Cajun dishes, seafood, vegetarian options and salads. The restaurant will open at 10 a.m. and will serve breakfast all day, McKown said.
“This is the first place that is officially mine — my concept, my menu, my food,” he said. His goal is to open additional Buckin’ Donkey locations “after a couple of years,” McKown said.
Michael Robbe, who owned Monkeez at the location, said the sale “was not a reflection of the business failing. We had wonderful customers, and we were well-supported.” But McKown approached him and “made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Robbe said. He still owns the Monkeez brand and is “certainly interested in exploring options” to reopen elsewhere,” he said.
Buckin’ Donkey will seat about 90 people, with seating for an additional 50 on a patio. McKown said the new pub will employ up to 20 people.
A Facebook page and web page are on the way, McKown said. For more information, call the Buckin’ Donkey Grille at (937) 723-7888.
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Kettering restaurant to open second location in Dayton
DAYTON — Starlite Diner & Restaurant in Kettering will open a second location of the same name at 2627 S. Smithville Road in the Belmont neighborhood of Dayton in about two weeks.
The “coming soon” signs are up in the windows of the new restaurant, located in the building that housed the Nanking Inn for more than 25 years until its owner retired and closed the Chinese restaurant nine months ago.
Starlite Diner & Restaurant’s Kettering restaurant is located at 4090 Wilmington Pike across from a Meijer store. The new Starlite is still accepting applications, which are available at both locations, and will employ 15 to 20 people, according to Mahmut Kilic, whose family owns both restaurants.
Starlite’s owners decided to expand and believe the Belmont area will support the diner, especially during the breakfast hours, Mahmut Kilic said. Starlite will be open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and breakfast will be available throughout the day. The restaurant will have full lunch and dinner menus nearly identical to those of the Kettering restaurant.
For more information, contact Starlite Diner’s Kettering restaurant at (937) 293-4000.
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