by Terry Rogers

In mid-September, people searching for a hot breakfast found a sign on the door of the Milford Bob Evans Restaurant that said the location was closed permanently. Recently, Steve Akoglo, owner of The Palace in Milford, announced that he has purchased the former Bob Evans building with plans to open a steak and seafood restaurant.

“One thing that Milford has needed is a good steak and seafood restaurant,” Akoglo said. “We plan to have a menu that focuses on steak and seafood. The name of the new restaurant will be Surf and Turf.” Akoglo said that construction will begin on the building starting Monday, December 17 with an anticipated opening of April 2019.

Agoglo is planning to construct a new addition on the front of the building that will expand the dining room. He also plans to add a banquet room and bar. According to Diane Hurd, Senior Managing Director of Inspire PR Group which handles all media matters for the parent company of Bob Evans, the chain decided to close the Milford location and sell the building as it was an underperforming site.

“The beloved Bob Evans brand continues to thrive,” Hurd said. “To assure Bob Evans Restaurants can maintain the stability of our business and build toward a vibrant future, we must make some tough decisions. The closure of our Milford location is one of those changes. By closing underperforming locations, we can focus on our core brand and on aligning our marketing and operational efforts.”

Akoglo is looking forward to opening the new restaurant and bringing a steakhouse to the town. He said that it was one of the things he heard most often from Milford residents, that the town needed a good steakhouse. The Palace will remain open and continue to serve the traditional food they are well-known for in the Milford area.

Sign up for you free digital subscription of The Weekly Review, delivered directly to your email every Tuesday morning. A quick cover-to-cover read to catch up on the news of the week and experience great stories about our local communities. Sign up for your free email subscription below.