The new owner of Mr. Greek's restaurant on South State Street is changing the restaurant's name to RJ's Coney Island.
Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com
R.J. Rzeppa, along with his wife and son, Anne Marie, and Nathan, acquired Mr. Greek’s, at 215 S. State St., in November when the restaurant’s former owner retired. The Rzeppa family is completing cosmetic changes to the 2,000-square-foot restaurant and plans to roll out a new menu and signage in July.
The restaurant plans to host a grand opening celebration on July 20.
Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com
“I always wanted to own my own business and give back to the community,” Rzeppa said. “If this restaurant were located anywhere else, in this economy, I probably wouldn’t have done this.”
Rzeppa has a background in sales and marketing, but he said the Mr. Greek’s location — just steps away from the University of Michigan’s campus — was appealing. He said U-M students account for about 75 percent of business at the restaurant.
“There’s so much potential here that the previous owner left untapped,” Rzeppa said.
During the past several months, Rzeppa said he renovated the restaurant “from top to bottom.” He repainted the interior and exterior, added outdoor seating and ordered signage.
New menus also are being printed and will be rolled out in July. RJ’s Coney Island will have the same type of fare, but with some updates.
Rzeppa said he might expand the restaurant’s hours to stay open for the late-night crowd. The current dining rush at the restaurant is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., he said.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.