OPEN
Sip Coffee Co. opens brick-and-mortar shop
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
After being mobile for the last four years, Sip Coffee Co. has found its permanent home in Tipp City.
Sip Coffee Co. started in 2020 as a mobile cart serving lattes at weddings, bridal showers, graduation parties and other celebrations. Two years later, owner Brooke Deaton bought a camper off of Facebook Marketplace, redid it and started serving drinks in West Milton near McDonald’s.
“It was seasonal, so every winter I had to shut down,” Deaton said. “A brick-and-mortar was always a dream.”
That dream became a reality when she signed the lease to her new brick-and-mortar location in July at 128 E. Main St. in Tipp City. The coffee shop officially opened its doors last week featuring “a pretty simple menu with limited flavors like caramel, mocha, honey and vanilla.”
Sip Coffee Co., which uses Purebred Coffee Co. in Troy as its roaster, is known for The Nova, a latte flavored with sweet and condensed milk. It’s similar to a Spanish or Cuban latte.
New neighborhood tavern Mort’s East opens in Kettering
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
One of the owners of the new Mort’s East, a neighborhood tavern in Kettering, says they want to see the space packed like it used to be when it was Murray’s.
Mort’s East offers a full bar with food such as applewood smoked wings, burgers, sandwiches, pizza and salads. It is located at 2866 S. Dixie Drive in the former space of the Buckin’ Donkey.
“Back in the day this place used to be Murray’s,” said Aaron Delidow, who owns the tavern with Bob Hochwalt. “Murray’s was packed from morning to night and that’s what we’re trying to get back to.”
If you’re wondering where the name comes from, Hochwalt’s daughter lives in Wichita, Kan. where her favorite bar is called, “Mort’s.” The owners added “East” to the name and are using a dog as their mascot, which is really a figurine they found when cleaning up the bar.
Narco Burger opens in Riverside
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
After much anticipation, Narco Burger is now open in Riverside on Spinning Road — less than five minutes from Carroll High School.
The restaurant officially opened its doors on Oct. 14 offering burgers, chicken, wraps, salads, sides such as seasoned fries, fried pickles and hot cheese bites, smoothies and desserts such as Mehaffies Pies.
Customer favorites include the King Burger, a triple smash burger with grilled onions and American cheese topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and Narco sauce on a toasted brioche bun. The Narco sauce is the restaurant’s homemade burger sauce that’s sweet with a little bite. It’s similar to Thousand Island dressing.
The restaurant also has lightly battered, crinkle cut fries seasoned with its signature Narco seasoning.
Two unique items on the menu include the Hamburgito, a deluxo burger that is chopped and wrapped in a burrito, and the Deluxo Fry Burger, a bed of seasoned fries covered with a chopped deluxo burger, shredded cheese and Narco sauce.
Red Bird Pizza in Miamisburg opens with limited menu
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Red Bird Pizza, a new East Coast inspired pizzeria, is now open at 18 N. Second St. in Miamisburg with a limited menu.
“Our team is small,” said Christian Clothier, who owns the pizza shop with his neighbor, Ife Olaore. “We want to be protective over the energy that we have, so if that means we make 50 pizzas at night until we find the right person, then that’s what we’ll do. Hopefully people can understand that our goal is ultimately quality and doing something special.”
Clothier is a pizza connoisseur who is originally from New Jersey. Before he moved to the region in 2012, he worked at Carpe Diem Pub and Restaurant in New Jersey for four years.
He was planning to open a pizzeria in 2012, but plans were put on hold. In 2020 when Clothier moved to his current home, Olaore introduced himself as a neighbor and soon after they became close friends.
Olaore recalled finding out about Clothier’s dream to open a pizzeria and his experience of trying a slice for the first time. He said it was the best pizza he’s had in his entire life and remembered asking, “Why hasn’t the world experienced this pizza?”
Wingstop opens in Huber Heights
Credit: Brooke Spurlock
Credit: Brooke Spurlock
Wingstop is continuing to expand throughout the Dayton region with a new restaurant location now open in Huber Heights and several others on the way.
The Huber Heights Wingstop is located at 6243 Old Troy Pike in the College Square Plaza next to Jet’s Pizza.
The restaurant offers classic and boneless wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches that are cooked to order. Customers can choose a variety of flavors from Mango Habanero, Cajun or Original Hot to Hot Honey Rub, Hickory Smoked BBQ or Lemon Pepper. The menu also features fresh-cut, seasoned fries.
Matria Patisserie at 2nd Street Market features handmade croissants
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
2nd Street Market’s newest vendor Mariano Rios of Matria Patisserie is bringing unique interpretations of croissants and other pastries to downtown Dayton.
Customers at 2nd Street Market can expect three to four different types of croissants each week. He’s made black forest, crème brûlée and brownie croissants, as well as more traditional flavors such as butter and almond.
He’s also put an Argentinean twist on the croissants by using quince paste or zapallo en almibar (caramelized squash).
Rios, who was born and raised in the Argentinean region of la pampa, earned a culinary degree in Argentina in 1997. Since then, he has cooked professionally in places like Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
Prior to opening at 2nd Street Market, his pastries could be found at Emporium and Dino’s in Yellow Springs. This gave Rios the confidence to continue to invest in his new venture.
Taylor’s Coffee & Creamery opens in Waynesville
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Taylor’s Coffee & Creamery, a one-stop shop for coffee, donuts, baked goods and ice cream, is open at 195 S. Main St. in downtown Waynesville.
Jona Powell, owner of Buckeye Charm, was the driving force behind the new coffee shop. She knew the owners of Hubbard’s Cupboard were moving away and wanted to fill a hole in the community.
“We weren’t going to have a coffee shop in our retail district in downtown Waynesville and that is extremely imperative for our retail district that we have one,” Powell said.
She teamed up with her two friends, Julie Abel, owner of JBA Bakes, and Angie Wagner, who was once a Waynesville resident of 15 years.
“Jona is such an intricate part of where Waynesville is going,” Wagner said. “She’s enhanced and added to the life and culture here and I think we can be a great compliment to that.”
Linh’s Bistro opens second location with fast-casual service
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
Linh’s Bistro opened a second restaurant location at 6008 Wilmington Pike in Sugarcreek Twp., across from Miami Valley Hospital.
Vu Hoang, who owns Linh’s Bistro with his brother, Thuy, said the new restaurant location will offer Vietnamese cuisine including pho, banh mi sandwiches, rice dishes, vermicelli noodle salad bowls, stir fried noodles and specialty drinks like sugar cane juice.
This will be their first time offering banh mi sandwiches with proteins including char siu (BBQ pork), thit Nguoi (Vietnamese cold cut), shredded chicken and beef meatballs.
This location will not offer full-service. Instead, customers will order at two kiosks where they can easily customize dishes to their liking. They will then receive a pager and when the food is ready it will buzz. If customers prefer not to use the kiosk, there will be someone at the front counter to take orders.
7 Brew opens in Beavercreek
7 Brew in Beavercreek officially opened on Monday, Oct. 28. A swag day is planned for Nov. 2. Those that purchase a large drink will receive a free shirt.
The Arkansas-based coffee chain offers a lot more than coffee. Customers can expect teas, lemonades, smoothies and shakes as well as their own branded energy drinks.
7 Brew has more than 20,000 flavor combinations for customers to choose from. Customer favorites include the Blondie with vanilla and caramel breve or the Ocean Breeze energy drink with blue raspberry and coconut.
The Beavercreek location at 2550 N. Fairfield Road, across the parking lot from the new REI Co-op, features a double lane drive-thru without speakers. All orders are taken face-to-face — allowing employees to make a personal connection.
New Dunkin’ location opens near Austin Landing
A new Dunkin’ location has opened in the Miami Valley.
The coffee shop is located at 9960 Summit Point Drive in Miami Twp., just outside of the Austin Park Apartments near Austin Landing.
This location will feature “a side-by-side drive-thru to make running on Dunkin’ faster and more convenient than ever before.”
On the inside, customers can expect their favorite signature cold beverages such as cold brew coffee served through a tap system and a front-facing bakery case with donuts and other baked goods. Next Gen restaurants also feature an area dedicated to mobile order pick-ups. Guests who order ahead via the Dunkin’ App can track the status of their order on a new digital order status board.
New cafe with coffee, elevated American cuisine opens in Dayton
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
miDDay, a new cafe featuring coffee and elevated American cuisine, is open at 800 S. Patterson Blvd. next to Old Scratch Pizza in the former space of Ghostlight Coffee.
Owners Greg Innocent, Chris Cheng and Taylor Moberly want to be known for great coffee and equally great hospitality.
“It’s coffee reimagined,” Innocent said. “We really want people to experience coffee in a way that it’s connected to the people they encounter when they are here.”
Moberly, a Piqua native with about 10 years of experience in the coffee industry, will head the cafe’s coffee program. She said customers can expect a core menu of drinks typically found in every coffee shop as well as seasonal beverages and a trendy menu highlighting popular drinks on TikTok.
In addition to coffee, customers can expect elevated American cuisine with an egg sandwich expected to be the star of the show during breakfast. The menu also includes waygu burgers, salads, wings and more.
CLOSED
Frisch’s Springfield location permanently closes
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Credit: Marshall Gorby
The Springfield Frisch’s Big Boy location on North Bechtle Avenue is “permanently closed,” according to a sign posted at the restaurant.
“Thank you for your support over the years,” the sign reads. “Please visit us at another Frisch’s Big Boy.”
The restaurant at 1831 N. Bechtle Ave. closed its doors at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26. The other Frisch’s location in Springfield at 2201 E. Main St. remains open.
This news comes less that a week after two other Frisch’s locations closed: 3560 S. Dixie Highway in Middletown and 1330 Columbus Ave. in Lebanon. According to Clermont County court records, two other locations could be on the chopping block.
Calypso Grill and Smokehouse closes in Yellow Springs
Credit: Facebook Photo
Credit: Facebook Photo
Calypso Grill and Smokehouse in Yellow Springs closed its doors after business Oct. 14.
Owner Brian Rainey opened Calypso in March 2018, nearly 14 years after he took over Sunrise Cafe. He recalled at that time being obsessed with opening another restaurant, especially after a trip to the Caribbean triggered the idea to focus on island-inspired cuisine and cocktails. The restaurant is known for its smoked meats such as jerk chicken, mojo pork and pork belly, as well as empanadas, fried plantains, fish dishes and much more.
“I feel the Calypso concept has run its course and it’s time to bring something new to the people,” Rainey said.
He had listed the restaurant for sale in February and had interest, but in the end it didn’t work out. Rainey does have plans to open a new concept in its space.
COMING SOON
New romance bookstore with wine bar to open in Oakwood next year
Credit: Cole Carpenter
Credit: Cole Carpenter
Dayton area entrepreneurs Lauren Gay and Lindsay Woodruff are teaming up to open a new bookstore with a wine bar in the Shops of Oakwood next year.
Swoon Books & Wine will be located at 2504 Far Hills Ave., in the former space of Maraluna next door to Chico’s.
The new business will focus on romance books and offer wines by the glass as well as classic cocktails like martinis and spritz. The store will not have an on-site kitchen, but sweet and savory grab-and-go options will be available from local chefs and bakers.
“I think romance readers tend to get pigeonholed into the classic bodice rippers historical fiction, but it’s really so much more expansive than that,” Woodruff said. “It includes romantic suspense, mystery, queer youth, young adult, sci-fi, dystopian, space opera. Romantasy is having a huge moment right now, so really any kind of genre (or) trope — something that somebody is into and has a really great love story to it is included in the world of romance.”
Woodruff hopes to start off with about 2,000 books. All books will be brand new.
Wingstop coming soon to Kettering
Wingstop is continuing to expand throughout the Dayton region with a new restaurant location coming soon to Kettering.
The Kettering Wingstop will be located at 2811 Wilmington Pike and is expected to open around Nov. 1, said Carl Loftis, a multi-unit manager for Wingstop.
“We also have plans for stores in Troy, Beaverton and more locations in (the) Dayton area in 2025,” Loftis said. “Our franchise currently has 68 Wingstops operating in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky.”
The franchise acquired the Dayton Wingstop at 4149 N. Main St. and the Springfield Wingstop at 2135 E. Main St. at the end of June.
Yellow Springs Smokehouse to have a “soft opening winter”
Credit: Facebook Photo
Credit: Facebook Photo
After closing Calypso Grill and Smokehouse in Yellow Springs, owner Brian Rainey has plans to open a new concept in its space.
Yellow Springs Smokehouse is expected to open full-time this spring. In the meantime, Rainey is planning to do a “soft opening winter” with weekend pop-ups starting in November. The first weekend pop-up will be pre-orders and carryout only.
“We’re going to have really great smoked meat, but we’re also concentrating on having really, really good side dishes,” Rainey said.
Meats on the menu include sliced and chopped brisket, pulled pork, jerk chicken, trout, tofu burnt ends and wings. Sides included boiled peanuts, spiced peach baked beans, fries, mac and cheese, chimichurri potato salad, Caesar salad, miso collards, coleslaw and corn bread muffins.
Everything will be made from scratch including the sauces.
New tea, wine lounge to open in Dayton’s Wright-Dunbar District
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Dayton natives Myla Hall and her second cousin, T. Anthony Monie, are opening a tea and wine lounge in the Wright-Dunbar District in early spring 2025.
“We’re creating something Dayton has never seen before — a place that celebrates our city’s history while bringing a new, vibrant energy,” Hall said. “We want Saoko Leaf & Vine to be a go-to destination for anyone looking to relax, connect, or work in a stylish, welcoming space.”
Saoko (pronounced say-a-ko) Leaf & Vine will be located at 1171 W. Third St. Suite 102 between XO Burger Vibez + Cocktails and Haymarket Deli & Sweets.
The new lounge will have a self-serve wine station featuring 12 wines on tap. Customers will be able to choose between a 1 oz., 3 oz. or 5 oz. pour. Memberships will be available.
The lounge will also offer bubble tea, a Taiwanese drink that emerged in the 1980s consisting usually of fresh-brewed tea mixed with milk or fruits and topped off with chewy tapioca balls, as well as health teas. Health teas include a Detox Tea and Hypertension Tea that are available to purchase online. Health teas coming soon include a Liver Tea and Thyroid Tea.
Warehouse 4 coffee shop to open in Beavercreek
Credit: Instagram Photo
Credit: Instagram Photo
Warehouse 4 has always had a vision to grow to multiple locations in the Dayton region. Owner Ben Neely and his family are ready to make the next step in Beavercreek.
The coffee shop, expected to open the first half of 2025, will be located at 3210 Seajay Drive in the former space of Erie Insurance, next to Flying Ace Express Car Wash.
“The location was great to be honest,” said regional manager Travis Tarter. “We saw a lack of shops like ourselves specifically in that area — places that are not only offering coffee, but offering breakfast options, house made baked goods, everything like that. We didn’t see a lot going on especially on that side of the exit.”
After opening the Beavercreek location, Warehouse 4 plans to open a new shop at least every couple of years.
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