Located at 7500 Poe Ave., on the eastern side of Interstate 75 opposite of the Miller Lane restaurant row, the restaurant has sat vacant for years.
The property’s owner, Rami Nwaisser, was expected in court Thursday for a zoning violation filed by the city last summer. Hopkins said the violation centers around the property’s signage out front, which is in a state of disrepair.
Vandalia Municipal Court records show Nwaisser received zoning violations in 2023 and 2020, as well.
“We are trying to work with the owners for a resolution to the violations but, at this point, we have not escalated the situation to a nuisance declaration,” Hopkins said this week. “We are hopeful that we can resolve these issues through our present course of action.”
Cincinnati-based Mexican restaurant chain El Rancho Grande opened in the 9,000-square-foot Poe Avenue space in 2005. It closed permanently in 2017 after a 12-year run.
Prior to that, the property operated as an Olive Garden restaurant.
The building was constructed in 1990 and sits on 2.69 acres, records show.
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