“This was a huge thing for us. The perception for many upon entering the restaurant was that we were fine dining, which has never been the intention.
“We made significant changes to the menu for ease of preparation and quickness of service while keeping the level of quality ingredients high. We made many of our dishes into small plates so there is an option to try more items while dining with us, and we took off some of the items that took the longest to prepare during service, so the wait times for meals are shorter.”
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The restaurant also expanded its burger options and added sandwiches at dinner so it could offer some lighter and smaller alternatives.
A new lunch menu will be rolled out Tuesday, Feb. 28. It includes sandwiches/entrees such as Ham, Spinach & Rye Panini, Mushroom Swiss Burger, Falafel Platter, Fish Reuben, Chicken & Biscuits and Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup; soups such as Wild Mushroom, White Bean Chicken Chili and Traditional French Onion; and salads. A “pick-two” soup/salad/sandwich is available.
Hawthorn Grill will offer two more Sunday brunch services, then will shift its Sunday hours starting March 12 and begin serving a Sunday dinner. Hours will be 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays effective in mid-March. Two special-occasion Sundays — Easter and Mother’s Day — will see a return of an all-you-can-eat family-style brunch, Rinke said.
The restaurant also will open an hour earlier on Saturdays, at 4 p.m., and will offer some Happy Hour specials. And it will stay open through the afternoon between lunch and dinner service, when it had been closing for a few hours.
“What will NOT be changing is us making everything from scratch, every day,” Rinke said.
Hawthorn Grill, founded in 2010 by Rinke, is located at 1222 E. Stroop Road west of Wilmington Pike in Kettering. For more information, check out the Hawthorn Grill Facebook page.
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