February restaurant highlights: 5 new, 5 coming soon and 2 closing

New

OPENINGS

The Florentine 

The new owners of an historic Dayton-area restaurant that traces its roots back more than two centuries have reopened the eatery.

And they’re promising not to do anything to diminish the historic significance of the 202-year-old structure.

Clay Alsip and Beth Vanden Berg, the local husband-and-wife team that purchased the Florentine on Jan. 3, had their “soft opening” at the the 7,000-square-foot restaurant in the former inn at 21 W. Market St. following some minor kitchen renovations and a top-to-bottom cleaning. Now, they’re ready to introduce the restaurant more broadly to the community and to diners seeking a slice of Ohio history with their meals.

Double Deuce Tavern & Family Pizzeria 

The Double Deuce Tavern & Family Pizzeria has officially opened its doors.

The business relocated from north Dayton to Huber Heights, where it renovated the former site of C’s Pizza at 5186 Brandt Pike (State Route 201).

Williams and co-owner Ralph Mueller first opened Double Deuce in 2009 at 17 Brandt St. in Dayton. In 2017, Williams noticed the then-vacant former C’s Pizza spot, which had also been the Myung Sung Asian restaurant prior to that.

The new tavern and pizzeria will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Starbucks 

Starbucks has added two new Dayton-area coffee shops in highly visible and well-traveled locations.

A Starbucks opened at 860 W. Central Ave. (Ohio 73) just east of the I-75 interchange in Springboro.

That Springboro opening follows the opening of one of the largest Starbucks shops in the Miami Valley, at 919 Lyons Road at Miamisburg-Centerville Road (Ohio 725) in Washington Twp. The 3,400-square-foot structure previously housed a KeyBank branch.

Penn Station East Coast Subs 

Penn Station East Coast Subs — which got its start in Cincinnati in 1985 — has opened its 15th Dayton-area restaurant.

The latest Penn Station sub shop served its first customers Friday, Feb. 9, at 195 Hospitality Drive in Xenia. The new restaurant seats 42 and employs more than 20, a spokeswoman for Penn Station told this news outlet today.

“Dayton has been a great market for Penn Station, and we’re excited to bring the brand to Xenia,” Penn Station President Craig Dunaway said in a release. “We know Xenia residents will love our fresh grilled sandwiches and hand-cut fries.”

OinkADoodleMoo 

OinkADoodleMoo Barbecue opened a new location in the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Area A Kittyhawk Area food court outside the Base Exchange. The local barbecue chain has operated out of a mobile unit at the base since 2010, according to owner Steven Meyer.

And Meyer said he is gearing up to open a new Kettering location at 912 E. Dorothy Lane at Ackerman Boulevard, in space that previously housed the original Dayton Beer Company taproom. That opening is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 27.

Coming Soon

COMING SOON

Troll Pub at the Wheelhouse 

Credit: Photo: Amy Walbridge,

Credit: Photo: Amy Walbridge,

The general manager of the Troll Pub at the Wheelhouse coming to 220 Wayne Ave., has told this news outlet that his new restaurant and watering hole is gearing up to be open by — you guessed it — St. Patrick’s Day.

The new Troll Pub Wheelhouse isn’t some cozy little hole-in-the-wall, either. It’s a 6,500-square-foot restaurant and bar that is expected to seat as many as 250. The second location for the popular Troll Pub Under The Bridge in Louisville, Ky., the Dayton pub will offer an extensive selection of craft beers and bourbons and will offer a food menu that General Manager Ben Barker has described as “pub grub, but made from scratch.”

Dunkin’ Donuts

A new doughnut shop is moving in to a Far Hills Avenue property that has housed a fast-food restaurant and, more recently, a pharmacy.

The Dayton area’s eighth Dunkin’ Donuts will be located at 5901 Far Hills Ave. (Ohio 48) in Washington Twp., Pat Gilligan, the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owner in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas, told this news outlet.

The region’s newest Dunkin’ Donuts will be designed and built out as part of the chain’s “Next Generation Concept Store.”

The Next Generation stores include digital kiosks that will allow customers to place an order without the help of a crew member; a faster drive-through experience for members of Dunkin’s “DD Perks” loyalty program who order ahead through a mobile app; and an expanded “grab-and-go” selection of bottles beverages, snacks and fresh fruit.

Reza’s Roast

After searching for a location for more than two years, Reza’s Roast, a Fairborn coffee roastery which specializes in wholesale sales of coffees and beans, is gearing up to open its first retail coffee shop, “Reza’s Downtown,” in Dayton.

The new shop is coming to 438 Wayne Ave., according to Audria Maki, founder of Reza’s Roast coffee roastery in Fairborn. If all goes well, Reza’s Downtown could open as early as this fall.

Old Mason Jar 

A new bar called the “Old Mason Jar” with an adjoining cafe is in the works in Fairborn.

The new business is coming to 604 and 606 W. Xenia Drive. It is the brainchild of James L. Baker, who grew up in Fairborn, worked in law enforcement in the Dayton area, and has returned to Fairborn.

Plans call for opening a pub this summer or fall, followed later by an antique-themed cafe that would open in the adjacent space and that would serve items such as pastries, cannolis, coffee and tea, Baker told this news outlet.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop 

A new restaurant coming to a high-profile space at the main entrance to The Greene Town Center has pushed back its projected opening date by a month or so.

A spokeswoman for Fuzzy’s Taco Shop told this news outlet that the projected opening date for the chain’s first Dayton-area location has been pushed back to early April.

“Fuzzy’s is a first and foremost a fun brand with a great atmosphere that sells large portions of Baja-style Mexican food for a value price,” Fuzzy’s vice president of marketing, Linda Veatch, told this news outlet.

Closing

CLOSINGS

La Piazza 

La Piazza — founded and owned by a member of the longest continually operating restaurant family in the Miami Valley — shut its doors for good at the close of business Saturday night, Feb. 3.

Located at 2 N. Market St. on Troy’s town square, La Piazza was launched by Michael and Jennifer Anticoli in 1992, and celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.

“Being the last operating member of my family's 87-year restaurant history creates a feeling of importance but it also helps me put it into perspective,” Michael Anticoli told this news outlet on the day his restaurant shut down for good. “I want to feel as if I've done my name proud and know that, as I leave, I was able to make a contribution to the effort that began so long ago.”

Buffalo Wings & Rings 

The Centerville restaurant that closed permanently earlier this week may not be gone for long, according to a spokesman for the restaurant’s owners.

This news outlet reported Wednesday morning, Feb. 7 that the Buffalo Wings & Rings restaurant at 894 S. Main St. (Ohio 48) in the Centerville Square Shopping Center had shut down for good on Monday, Feb. 5 — but the chain apparently hasn’t given up on the Dayton area.

According to a company spokesman: “We recently made the decision to close our Centerville location. With the lease ending, we have decided to explore other options for where a restaurant can thrive within the area and best serve our fans in Montgomery and Greene counties.”

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