CLOSED
Several Frisch’s locations have closed this month in Dayton region
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
This past weekend, four more Frisch’s Big Boy locations have closed its doors in the Dayton region: 1095 S. Main St. in Englewood, 8154 Old Troy Pike in Huber Heights, 2861 Wilmington Pike in Kettering and 8181 Springboro Pike, Miami Twp.
This news comes after several other Frisch’s locations closed earlier this month: 38 W. Main St. in Xenia and 20 Troy Town Dr. in Troy.
It was reported two weeks ago that two Frisch’s Restaurant Inc. executives, Don Short and Cheryl White, are leading a buyout of “select” locations from the company’s Atlanta-based owner.
“We are very grateful and extremely excited to have the opportunity to carry this beloved icon forward,” Short said in a press release. “Some Frisch’s units are no longer viable. However, other units are well situated to move forward, and we plan to invest in those locations and add new units in the years ahead.”
The press release doesn’t specify which stores will stay open due to the sale, but hints at the difficulties faced by nonviable locations.
Last TGI Fridays in Dayton region closes
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
The last TGI Fridays in the Dayton region has closed its doors nearly two weeks after the chain filed for bankruptcy protection as it was looking for ways to “ensure the long-term viability” of the casual dining brand.
The restaurant, located at 2799 Centre Drive in Beavercreek, just off of North Fairfield Road, closed as of today, according to an employee at The Falcons Group, the franchisee of the restaurant.
The Falcons Group was formed in 2018 with the acquisition of 16 TGI Fridays locations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. As of today, the franchisee has 10 TGI Fridays, according to the group’s website.
The closest TGI Fridays to the Dayton region include: 7656 Cox Lane in West Chester or 3719 Stone Creek Blvd. in Cincinnati.
Dayton’s only Pita Pit location closes
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
The signs are down and the doors are locked at Dayton’s only Pita Pit location near the University of Dayton and Miami Valley Hospital.
According to the restaurant’s Facebook page, the hours were updated to “permanently closed” about five weeks ago.
Dain Peters opened Pita Pit at 1047 Brown St. at 22 years old — becoming the chain’s youngest franchise holder.
Peters fell in love with the Pita Pit brand in Washington state, where he spent part of his childhood, and dreamed of opening his own location.
OPEN
Table 33 opens in Dayton Arcade
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
Table 33 opened its doors to the public Friday, Nov. 22 for brunch at its new spot in the Dayton Arcade.
“To ensure a smooth and efficient opening, we’ll be starting with a smaller, streamlined menu, carefully crafted to highlight some of our best offerings. This approach allows us to focus on delivering exceptional quality and service as we welcome you back,” the restaurant said in a social media post.
The restaurant is located at 45 W. Fourth St. in the Arcade’s Commercial and Fourth Street buildings. This was the former home of Est! Est!! Est!!!, an Italian restaurant that closed in July.
Table 33 is expected to start dinner service on Dec. 18.
New Christmas pop-up bar to opens north of Dayton
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
The owners of Cherry Street Bottle Shop in Troy have transformed its downstairs cocktail lounge into a Christmas pop-up bar for the holiday season.
“Cheer on Cherry Street” will run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 28.
Sara Studebaker, who owns the bottle shop and cocktail kitchen with Carly Witmer, said they want to offer the community something “fun and different for the holiday season.”
The idea behind Cheer on Cherry Street came from one of their employees who suggested it after having trouble getting reservations to holiday-themed bars in Cincinnati and Columbus.
Glazed Donut Eatery opens second location near Wright State
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Glazed Donut Eatery has opened its second location near Wright State University.
The doughnut shop is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3800 Colonel Glenn Highway Suite 200 in Fairborn. This is the former location of Gigi’s Cupcakes that most recently housed Mamaw’s Bakery and Gifts.
The Fairborn location will have the same doughnuts as its flagship location in Xenia, but it will not carry specialty coffees due to its proximity to Starbucks. The doughnut shop will have drip coffee.
Business will continue as usual at its Xenia location, 607 N. Detroit St.
Mulberry & Main opens in former Brookville firehouse
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Brookville natives Brandie and Jeff Wright lived in New York City and Philadelphia before moving back to their hometown with their two daughters.
“While living in the bigger cities, we always enjoyed walking around and discovering new coffee shops,” Brandie said. “After having our first born and becoming a stay-at-home mother, I found myself often searching for unique coffee shops to visit with my daughter.”
The thought of opening their own coffee shop became their next big endeavor when they returned to Brookville, but soon it turned into an 8,000-square-foot building that they’ve spent the last three and a half years renovating.
The couple opened Mulberry & Main, a bistro with a coffee bar and 15 beer taps, at 130 Main St. in Brookville’s original firehouse in early October.
Toasted Brunch Bar + Cafe opens in Beavercreek outside of Mall at Fairfield Commons
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Toasted Brunch Bar + Cafe, a new restaurant concept specializing in traditional American and internationally fused breakfast, lunch and dinner, is open just outside of the Mall at Fairfield Commons in the former space of Melt Bar & Grilled.
“Through our U.S. and international travels, we have had the opportunity to experience unique flavors that have not been explored in this area,” said Enrique Alvarez, El Toro’s district manager. “We are excited to welcome guests and share our passion for food with everyone.”
Toasted Brunch Bar + Cafe is an extension of the El Toro brand.
The cafe offers a mix of traditional breakfast items such as eggs, bacon, pancakes and French toast, as well as modern twists of avocado toasts, chicken and waffles, pancake tacos and various brunch sandwiches.
Wingstop on Wilmington Pike in Kettering opens
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Wingstop opened its newest restaurant location in the Dayton region on Nov. 6.
The restaurant is located at 2811 Wilmington Pike in Kettering. This news comes about two weeks after the Huber Heights Wingstop opened at 6243 Old Troy Pike in the College Square Plaza next to Jet’s Pizza.
The franchise, which operates nearly 70 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky, has plans to open additional locations in the Dayton region in 2025.
Carl Loftis, a multi-unit manager for Wingstop said they acquired the Dayton Wingstop at 4149 N. Main St. and the Springfield Wingstop at 2135 E. Main St. at the end of June.
COMING SOON
Kettering to get Coffee Bar by Val’s Bakery; opening set for December
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Val’s Bakery owner Paige Woodie is opening a new drive-thru only coffee stand in Kettering.
Coffee Bar by Val’s Bakery is expected to soft open Dec. 6 at 5707 Bigger Road. This is the former location of Sassy Acai Bowls in the middle of the Oak Creek Plaza, across the street from Thai Street Noodles.
The drive-thru will feature Val’s traditional coffee menu with a twist.
Val’s seasonal drinks will be available year round at the coffee stand. Customers can expect drinks like the cookie butter latte, cinnamon toast crunch latte, tiramisu cold brew, strawberry matcha latte and mango matcha latte.
The coffee stand will not offer croissants like Woodie’s bakery in downtown Dayton. Customers can expect cookies, brownies, scones, bagels with cream cheese and an avocado bagel toast.
Chicken Salad Chick hopes for mid-December opening in Centerville
Credit: Facebook Photo
Credit: Facebook Photo
The Dayton region’s first Chicken Salad Chick is striving to open in mid-December at Cornerstone of Centerville.
“We’ve seen strong community support and enthusiastic adoption of our brand in Ohio, and we’re excited to continue our expansion in the state,” said marketing manager Hannah Verdun. “We believe Dayton’s vibrant community will enjoy our wide variety of delicious chicken salad options, and we look forward to becoming a part of this growing area.”
The restaurant will occupy 2,800-square-feet of the mixed-used development’s newest building at 5264 Cornerstone North Blvd. The 10,000-square-foot space described as the “Shoppes at Cornerstone IV” is the final retail building being developed on the property.
Chicken Salad Chick will join Mi Cozumel in the Shoppes at Cornerstone IV. Danielle Kuehnle, senior vice president of sales and leasing at Oberer Realty Services, confirmed the Mexican restaurant has signed a lease and said they anticipate them to start construction in 2025.
Marble Slab Creamery & Great American Cookies to open in Huber Heights
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
A business combining homemade ice cream and fresh-baked cookies is coming soon to Old Troy Pike in Huber Heights.
Marble Slab Creamery & Great American Cookies will be located between Jersey Mike’s Subs and MILAN Laser Hair Removal in the Huber Heights Commons Retail Hub.
This strip of businesses features several others such as Wat da Pho Express, Luminous Nail & Spa and BIBIBOP Asian Grill.
As work continues on Marble Slab Creamery & Great American Cookies, the City of Huber Heights has yet to receive a request for a final inspection. An opening date has not been announced.
Gionino’s to open new location on Wilmington Avenue in Dayton
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Those who have driven on Wilmington Avenue in Dayton — just past Stan’s Donuts near Rocky’s Ace Hardware — may have noticed a new Gionino’s Pizzeria location.
The pizza shop is expected to open in early- to mid-December, said franchise owner Tony Clark.
Gionino’s Pizzeria is known for its pan-crust pizzas made with provolone cheese and a sweet homemade sauce, in addition to fried chicken, salads, Italian subs and much more.
Pizza and fried chicken isn’t normally paired up in the Dayton area, but Clark encouraged customers to give it a try because where he grew up in Northeast Ohio it goes hand in hand.
FOR SALE
Basil’s in Troy is on market for acquisition or lease
Credit: Jessica Herndon
Credit: Jessica Herndon
Basil’s in Troy “is now on the market for acquisition or lease,” according to a Nov. 19 post on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
This news comes after the restaurant had closed its doors at the end of May due to a fire. About 12 weeks ago, Basil’s on Market was planning to be closed for at least eight months.
Chef Todd Uhlir and Jeffrey Finklestein opened the restaurant at 18 N. Market St. in 2014 with a dream of owning an upscale bistro with affordable American fare.
After success in Troy, they went on to open a downtown Dayton location in 2016 and a Mason location in 2018. The Mason location never reopened after the coronavirus pandemic and the Dayton location closed in August 2022.
The duo also opened a location at the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek in 2020, but that restaurant never reopened after “temporarily” closing in March 2023 for renovations and maintenance.
Miamisburg brewery for sale
After 10 years in business, the owners of Lucky Star Brewery in downtown Miamisburg are ready to retire and sell their business.
“We’re at that point in our life where we’ve done this for 10 years,” said Glenn Perrine, who owns the brewery with his wife, Ana. “My dad passed away a couple years ago. Her dad passed away just last year and we started thinking, how many more years do we have left to get out and do what we want to do?”
They said it was a really difficult decision to make, but when Ana’s dad passed away they said, “maybe it’s time.”
The brewery is listed for $485,000, which includes the building, business, equipment, recipes and all licenses.
CHANGES
Pappa’s Pizza Palace has new ownership
Pappa’s Pizza Palace recently announced it is under new ownership and is back to being family-owned, making changes aimed at returning it to what its former longtime owners provided for decades.
Abby and Mike Kinder and their nephew Parker Lenski, as new owners of the restaurant at 412 S. First St. in Miamisburg, are “here to carry on the traditions of the beloved Pappa’s that we all know and love.”
That includes reverting to the original sauce and soup recipes used by Dale and Connie Jennings, who operated the restaurant from 1990 until 2021, and returning to making the restaurant’s dough in-house instead of using frozen dough, Lenski told this news outlet.
“Our mission is simple: to honor the legacy of Dale and Connie while introducing exciting new flavors and experiences for our community,” the restaurant said via Facebook.
Oregon District restaurant goes back to original fine dining concept
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
An Oregon District restaurant is returning to its original fine dining concept after rebranding to Culina — a fine casual service model offering Italian-inspired small plates.
“While the change to the Culina concept from Roost has been well received, our loyal customers have spoken,” a press release from the restaurant stated. “So much so, that the decision has been made to return to the Roost Italian offering classic Roost entrees and sneaking in some of Culina’s most popular small plates.”
Chef Dana Downs said the change will allow the return of many of the menu favorites that her customers have loved. The change back to Roost will take place over the next few weeks.
Bentino’s Pizza of Yellow Springs to open full-service dining room
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Bentino’s Pizza of Yellow Springs is now offering a full-service dining room for customers to kick back and enjoy their favorite pies and calzones.
“It was always something we wanted to do,” said Carl Lea, who owns the pizza shop with his wife of 14 years, Kim.
The couple purchased the building at 107 Xenia Ave. in Sept. 2022 after renting half of the building for 16 years. One day before signing the papers, the owner of Subway, that was once located next door, notified them that they were planning to leave. At that time, it was best for them to lease the space.
Over the last couple of months, the owners have renovated the space. The other side of the building will be used for pickup and delivery. There will be no dine-in available on the original side.
If you know of a new restaurant coming to the Dayton region, email natalie.jones@coxinc.com with details.
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