Despite the uncertainty, two restaurants specializing in pizza — Roscoe’s in Corwin and Donatos on North Main Street in Dayton — opened in April. But the Greek Isle Deli, a 30-year-old eatery that spent the last 17 years in Riverside, has closed permanently.
There’s news to look forward to — at long last, an Indian restaurant has set its eye on downtown Dayton with plans to open after the pandemic eases.
It is still a good time to remember our local restaurants and put in a carryout, curbside pickup or contact-less delivery order.
>>8 more Dayton-area restaurants just revealed their reopening plans
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>>2 more local restaurants to reopen, one in Kettering, the other in Centerville
New
Roscoe’s
Roscoe’s, a new pizza parlor that opened last week in the village of Corwin between Waynesville and Caesar Creek Lake, is the culmination of years of work and planning by Jeff Ross, a local man who returned to the area after operating a pizza business in Columbus.
Roscoe’s is located in the former Pizza Hut at 6782 Corwin Ave.
“Roscoe’s Pizza offers a wide selection of specialty pizzas with fresh ingredients. Served up by a fun-loving crew of pizza slugs,” according to the restaurant’s Facebook page.
>>READ MORE: Warren County friends open new pizza restaurant outside Waynesville
Donatos Pizza
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
A completely rebuilt Donatos Pizza restaurant, 5120 N. Main St., that opened after its predecessor was destroyed by the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes symbolizes the strength of our community, its franchise owner says.
“Reopening our North Main location while our community faces another challenge means so much to our Dayton Donatos family,” Todd Rogers, president of The Viking Group, Donatos Pizza’s franchise partner in the Dayton area, told this news outlet over the weekend. “The rebuilt location points to the resilience of our community, our neighbors and our team. It represents perseverance, commitment and spirit. We’re very proud to be a part of this great neighborhood and can’t wait to see our valued customers again.”
The new restaurant will have a drive-through pickup window and will be open for carryout and delivery. Its phone number is 937-275-2700. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Coming Soon
Gulzar’s Indian Cuisine
Credit: Gulzar's Indian Cuisine
Credit: Gulzar's Indian Cuisine
Harkinder “AJ” Singh would like to open his family’s third restaurant this summer, this one in downtown Dayton, but the coronavirus pandemic threw a wrench in the plans.
He signed a lease in February or March for restaurant space in the CareSource building downtown overlooking Day Air Ballpark, the home of the Dayton Dragons.
Singh says he will still open a second location of Gulzar’s Indian Cuisine, named for his grandfather, but it may not happen until January or February.
The restaurant will feature a lunch buffet and fine dining in the evening with a long line of dishes, including a range of Indian breads, butter chicken, lamb and shrimp curry, saag paneer, aloo vindaloo, assorted varieties of the rice dish biryani and clay oven dishes such as chicken tikka and tandoori shrimp.
Culver’s
The Culver’s restaurant chain, which operates locations in Troy and Monroe, has submitted plans for a new restaurant in Vandalia, and a franchisee says more Dayton-area locations may be on the way.
David Potts, a Miami County native who launched the Culver’s restaurant in Troy in 2004 and added a Sidney location in 2007, confirmed he has reached agreement on the purchase of land behind Ruby Tuesday at Miller Lane and Benchwood Road and has submitted a proposed site plan to Vandalia city officials to build a Culver’s restaurant at that location.
It would be the closest Culver’s to Dayton for the Wisconsin-based Culver’s restaurant chain, known for its ButterBurgers and Fresh Frozen Custard. The chain operates more than 700 restaurants in 25 states, and has a significant presence in Indiana.
Closed
Greek Isle Deli
Credit: Greek Isle Deli
Credit: Greek Isle Deli
A Greek and Mediterranean-themed restaurant in Riverside that had been operating as a carryout-only eatery during the coronavirus pandemic until suspending those operations on March 24 has announced on its Facebook page that it is shutting down permanently.
“I am sorry. Yes, we are going out of business,” the owners of the Greek Isle Deli at 5524 Airway Road in the Page Manor Shopping Center wrote in a Facebook post in which they announced the restaurant’s furnishings and equipment are for sale.
The restaurant had operated at its Page Manor location for 17 years. The deli had moved there from a strip center across from Wright State University in 2003, and it has been in existence under that name since at least 1990.
>>READ MORE: One local Greek restaurant is shutting its doors for good after 30 years
Ruby Tuesday
Credit: Mark Fisher
Credit: Mark Fisher
A national chain restaurant that has operated for nearly 15 years on Far Hills Avenue in Washington Twp. shut down permanently.
“We are sorry to any inconvenience that this may have caused you,” a sign on the entrance to the Ruby Tuesday restaurant at 6061 Far Hills Ave. tells disappointed customers.
A spokeswoman for Ruby Tuesday issued the following statement on April 1 regarding the closure:
“During these uncertain times, and after careful consideration, we have decided to close the Washington Township location in an effort to better position our restaurants for future business. We value the dedication and hard work of all our employees, and we greatly appreciate the community that has supported us. We will continue to work hard to make the Ruby Tuesday brand even stronger and better prepared” for when restaurants are permitted to fully reopen.
