August business news in Dayton: Buc-ee’s, Avelo Airlines, Taco John’s and more

The new Buc-ee’s coming to Huber Heights will be one of the largest Buc-ee’s in the nation when it opens. CONTRIBUTED

The new Buc-ee’s coming to Huber Heights will be one of the largest Buc-ee’s in the nation when it opens. CONTRIBUTED

Here is a look at the latest news on business and development projects planned or ongoing in the Dayton area.


Buc-ee’s new Dayton area location will be one of the largest nationwide

Buc-ee's has submitted plans to build a store and fueling pumps in Huber Heights. In this photo is a Buc-ee's in Athens, Ala. on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. RICH GILLETTE/STAFF

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The new Buc-ee’s coming to Huber Heights will be one of the largest Buc-ee’s in the nation when it opens.

Ohio’s first store for the chain will have 74,000 square feet of retail space, according to plans submitted to the city. That’s the same size as a Buc-ee’s in Tennessee that, for now, holds the world record for the world’s largest convenience store. But both those stores will be eclipsed by a new Buc-ee’s of more than 75,000 square feet that is under construction in Luling, Texas.

To give a little perspective, the new Huber Heights Buc-ee’s will be:

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Ohio inspectors find hundreds of problems at CVS pharmacies

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost called the findings in the reports about CVS “very concerning” and said that his office is “collecting information” about whether some CVS practices have violated state antitrust laws.

Credit: AFP/Getty Images

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Credit: AFP/Getty Images

In the wake of news about Ohio regulators’ findings at severely understaffed CVS pharmacies, numerous current and recent CVS workers in Ohio and elsewhere have said the problems are not limited to the nine stores the Ohio Board of Pharmacy has issued reports on.

Meanwhile, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost called the findings in the reports “very concerning” and said that his office is “collecting information” about whether some CVS practices have violated state antitrust laws.

On July 7, the Capital Journal reported on eight Ohio CVS stores, including some in the Dayton area, where the Board of Pharmacy found rampant turnover due to understaffing in inspections that took place between 2020 and last year. Inspectors found hundreds of problems, including dirty conditions, lack of controls over dangerous drugs and wait times as long as a month for prescriptions. They also found adulterated and expired drugs on CVS pharmacy shelves.

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Buc-ee’s aims to open first Ohio location along I-70

Buc-ee's in Richmond. Ky. has 120 gas pumps. Huber Heights announced Aug. 10, 2023 that a Buc-ee's will be built there, and it is the first in Ohio. PAUL SCHAFFER/STAFF

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Area fans of Buc-ee’s, a convenience store and fueling center chain with a devoted following, may soon have a much shorter distance to drive.

Plans submitted to the city of Huber Heights show a 74,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s on a 52-acre site at the northeast corner of the Interstate 70/Ohio 235 interchange, according to an Aug. 9 memorandum from Interim City Planner Aaron Sorrell to Huber Heights Planning Commission.

Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore took to Facebook to celebrate the news.

“Yes, this is in Huber Heights, not New Carlisle or Park Layne,” Gore said in the post. “Representatives from Buc-ee’s will be at the planning commission meeting on Tuesday August 15th. You won’t have to drive to Kentucky now to get your beef jerky and brisket sandwiches. Welcome to Huber Heights Buc-cee’s. We’re ... happy to have you.”

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National restaurant chain closes final Dayton region location

Geez Grill and Pub, which has operated for 26 years in Washington Twp., will move up the street to the former Ruby Tuesday restaurant space in the Washington Square Shopping Center in front of Dorothy Lane Market.

Credit: Mark Fisher

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Credit: Mark Fisher

TROY — The Ruby Tuesday restaurant at 1780 W. Main St. in Troy, just west of I-75′s exit 74, closed its doors last week.

“Unfortunately, this location is permanently closed,” a sign posted at the business said. “Thank you for your years of support in the Troy community.”

The sign also invited potential customers to visit the Ruby Tuesday locations in Muncie, Ind., and Sharonville, near Cincinnati.

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Avelo Airlines confirms it will stop service at Dayton International Airport

The inaugural Dayton flight by Avelo Airlines took off for Orlando on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023.

Credit: Contributed

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Credit: Contributed

Avelo Airlines, Dayton’s newest airline, is going to cease service at the Dayton International Airport, which means the aviation facility will lose one of its two flights to Orlando, Florida.

Avelo’s flight from the Gem City to the Florida vacation destination only took to the skies seven months ago. Airport officials said the flight had good passenger traffic and they wish the air carrier gave the service more time to “mature” and catch on.

“I think the Dayton community did everything we possibly could do, because the load factors were really great with that flight,” said Linda Hughes, Dayton’s air service manager. “I can’t speculate as to why we didn’t get to mature a little longer.”

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Warren County to get first Wawa gas station, convenience store

Plans have been submitted to the Lebanon Planning Commission to build a Wawa gas station/convenience store in Lebanon. The proposed Wawa is being located at Kingsview Drive and Ohio 48, just north of the Interstate 71/Ohio 48 interchange.  CONTRIBUTED

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Wawa has plans to build a gas station/convenience store near the south end of Lebanon at the Interstate 71 interchange.

Jason Millard, community development director, said the developer for Wawa submitted plans earlier in the week.

“We are reviewing the information to finalize the submittal for review by the City Planning Commission in September,” Millard said.

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Kettering restaurant targets opening date for 1st area site

Taco John's restaurant opened recently on Cincinnati Dayton Road in West Chester Township. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

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Credit: Nick Graham

A restaurant new to the Dayton-area market and expanding in Ohio plans to open a Kettering site this fall.

Taco John’s is targeting an Oct. 16 opening of the 4045 Wilmington Pike restaurant that is under construction, according to a company spokeswoman.

The 2,106 square-foot location in front of the large Meijer store will have 30 to 40 part- and full-time employees and a seating capacity of 50, said Marin Suska, Taco John’s media services director.

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Gas station chain files more documents aiming for Kettering Golden Nugget site

The Golden Nugget Pancake House on South Dixie Drive in Kettering is working to reopen this summer. The restaurant closed the day before the coronavirus statewide shutdown of dine-in service. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

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Credit: JIM NOELKER

KETTERING — The vacated Golden Nugget Pancake House in Kettering is the focus of continuing plans by a convenience store chain that has yet to open any Dayton-area sites.

GetGo has filed a document involving the 2932 South Dixie Highway site, city of Kettering records show. The chain owned by Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle has submitted a zoning permit application at the site of the Golden Nugget, according to the city.

GetGo submitted a preliminary proposal in 2022, but city officials said it was not formal. The newer plan documents, dated 2023, are being reviewed for compliance with the city’s zoning code, according to Tom Robillard, Kettering planning and development director.

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Texas Roadhouse opens Warren County location

Texas Roadhouse will open its newest location in Mason at 2689 Water Park Drive on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. ED RICHTER/STAFF

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The new Texas Roadhouse at 2689 Water Park Drive in Mason has put its new staff of servers, line cooks, hosts, meat cutters spent the last week in training, said Eric DeFoe, a company market and product coach. “We’re excited to be in the community,” he said.

DeFoe said the restaurant will feature hand-cut steaks, fall off the bone ribs, made from scratch sides, and fresh baked bread.

The restaurant also features a drive-through for pick-up orders.

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Amazon opens huge Dayton airport facility that will employ 2,000 workers

Amazon recently opened a new fulfillment center in Union near the Dayton International Airport that already employs hundreds of workers and will employ about 2,000 people when fully operational. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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Amazon, one of the world’s largest online retailers, says it has officially opened a new, state-of-the-art robotics fulfillment center near Dayton that will employ about 2,000 workers.

The new 2.8 million-square-foot facility is located at 1835 Union Airpark Blvd. in the city of Union, on the northwest side of the Dayton International Airport.

The fulfillment center, called LUK2, is expected to begin processing and delivering customer orders on Aug. 31, Amazon said.

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Oregon Express for sale in Dayton: ‘We will continue to do this until the right buyers come along’

The Oregon Express, located at 336 E. Fifth St. in Dayton, is for sale. NATALIE JONES/STAFF

Credit: Natalie Jones

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Credit: Natalie Jones

The owners of The Oregon Express in downtown Dayton are ready to retire and pass the torch.

“It’s been a great business. It’s still a great business,” said Terry Adkins, who has co-owned the pizza tavern with his brother-in-law, Joe Bavaro, for almost 40 years. “It’s just time for us to retire.”

Adkins and Bavaro purchased and reopened The Oregon Express on Sept. 16, 1983. Bavaro and his wife, Susan, have operated the pizza tavern on a day-to-day basis. Adkins was also involved even while serving as principal at Xenia’s St. Brigid School, where he retired in July.

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Kettering Field will be a ‘premier’ sports complex with millions of dollars in upgrades, Dayton officials say

The city of Dayton is looking to make Kettering Field a premier sports complex by spending $15 million to upgrade the facility. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

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Credit: JIM NOELKER

City officials said Kettering Field can become a very special sports complex if it undergoes millions of dollars of renovations, and the city has hired a consultant to develop a plan to help make that happen.

Kettering Field already has baseball and softball diamonds and other facilities, but the city would like to add new amenities such as basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, a second turf football field and a soccer field.

“The goal is to build a premier, multi-use sporting complex that will really add to our recreational assets,” said Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein.

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