CANTON – Some big changes are coming to the downtown dining scene.
A new restaurant is opening. A longtime eatery is relocating. And two other local favorites are reopening under new management.
Jerzee s Cafe in Centennial Plaza should open by the end of this month.
Owner Chris Maggiore said he s planning a soft opening before the NFL Draft begins April 29. All that remains are some final touches to the cafe s appearance, technology and staffing. We want to open and do it right, Maggiore said.
The restaurant at 330 Court Ave. NW will have a scaled-down Jerzee s All American Sports Grille menu: burgers, wraps, salads, boxed lunches, pizzas and flatbreads. It also will feature Starbucks coffee and tea beverages and a small selection from Nothing Bundt Cakes.
It s a fight for identity.
On one side is Napoli s Italian Eatery. The long-established downtown dining spot was to re-open under new ownership as early as last week, but that plan is on hold.
On the other side is a son and his fiancee of the former Napoli s owner. They say the Napoli s name and phone number are theirs and they want to use both for a new restaurant in the northeast area. Napoli s is not a place; it s a who, said Bobbie Alm.
She s engaged to Michael DeChellis, whose father Phil DeChellis owned Napoli s at 221 Market Ave. N until his death in 2016. Father wanted to turn the restaurant over to his son, according his last will and testament.