Catching up, following up after the big snow dump …

In case you missed it, Eat'n Park said last week it is closing five locations in Northeast Ohio, including the one in Cuyahoga Falls on Howe Avenue and in Medina Township on North Court Street.

The privately owned Eat'n Park Hospitality Group of Homestead, Pennsylvania, also revealed last week that it is expanding its Hello Bistro salad and burger concept in Northeast Ohio, with a location set to open later this year at Summit Mall in Fairlawn.

I sleuthed away for you, dear readers, and learned this week from company spokeswoman Becky McArdle that the Hello Bistro will open in an existing space with access from the mall's interior, through the food court, as well as exterior access.

This will be the second Hello Bistro in Northeast Ohio. One opened last spring in the La Place shopping area near Beachwood Place Mall in Beachwood.

Hello Bistros are “fast-casual spots,” a la Chipotle or Panera Bread, with no servers waiting tables. However, some items such as “Salads by Us” are delivered to tables, McArdle said.

Create-your-own salads are the big thing here, with “salad sherpas” behind a counter asking customers if they want protein or avocado. Customers choose greens, toppings (there are dozens) and type and quantity of dressing. Salads are chopped into small, medium or large bites and mixed in front of customers.

A create-your-own salad at Hello Bistro runs $8.25, regardless of how may toppings you load on. Proteins such as chicken (seasoned various ways), salmon, shrimp and tofu are $2 or $3, avocado $1.50.

The menu also includes the aforementioned Salads by Us (such as Apple Almond Crunch), burgers, grilled sandwiches and soups.

Here’s a link to the menu: www.hellobistro.com/menu.aspx?pid=20.

Root beer stand



Readers of Ohio.com may have seen a story earlier this month about the A&W Root Beer stand in Tallmadge being up for sale.

This online article came from the weekly Tallmadge Express, which is owned by GateHouse Media, which also owns the Beacon Journal. It noted the iconic drive-in was listed on www.Loopnet, the online real estate site, for $1.5 million.

Here's some other stuff I thought readers might want to know.

The owner of the drive-in business and property is a limited liability company owned by John Geer and his wife, Tina, according to an earlier news report and Summit County property records.

The A&W, located off Tallmadge Circle at 35 West Ave., has been open since 1960, and the Geers purchased it in 2001. Attorney Jeff Leonard, who is listed as a contact on the Loopnet listing, declined to identify the owners.

Leonard, who noted the property has been up for sale for a while, said it will reopen this spring as usual if a buyer is not found before then.

The listing says the drive-in is an “ongoing business concern” and the $1.5 million includes the value of the business as well as the property. It notes the owners want to retire.

Also according to the listing, it isn’t an A&W anymore. The owners decided to let their license agreement with the chain expire in December.

They will continue to operate the restaurant under a different name, “but in much the same manner and with much the same menu” without trademarks of A&W Foods, the listing says. They “do not believe this change will adversely affect the operations of the restaurant."

Other A&Ws in Ohio include one in Kent and one in Ravenna. (This information has been updated from a prior posting of this article.)

Here’s some trivia about the A&W chain. It was founded in 1919, making it the oldest fast-food company in the world, according to its current owners, A Great American Brand LLC. This company is a partnership of A&W franchisees that bought the company in 2011 from YUM! Brands Inc., which operates Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut and WingStreet worldwide.

No fast-food fun fact worries. There won’t be a test.

Eatery, bar



You also may have seen an article on Ohio.com and in the Beacon Journal earlier this month about the new owners of the former Riverside Wine & Beer Bar in Kent, known for its large selection and its deck on the Cuyahoga River.

The article from the Record-Courier (also owned by GateHouse Media) told how Cameron Thomas, son of Ray's Place owner Charlie Thomas, has plans to open a new establishment in the building at 911 N. Mantua St. sometime this summer.

I recently caught up with the Thomases. Charlie Thomas told me he bought the property, including a next-door house and parking lot, and Cameron will run the eatery, bar and shop planned for the space.

A fire shut down Riverside in 2016, and it never reopened. However, owner Robert Morson did quite a bit of renovating following the fire. The place now boasts a cathedral-like ceiling, giving it a much more airy feel.

Cameron said after getting a master’s degree last year at the School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University, he came home to work with his dad. The two talked with Morson, a family friend, and Cameron presented his dad with a business proposal for the property.

Cameron said the idea is to continue to sell beer and wine and to have an “upgraded bar area” with a broader menu than that offered by Riverside, which pretty much stuck to cheese and meat plates, hummus and the like.

He envisions more wine offerings. And no surprise, he’ll continue to serve on that great deck, with a view that includes working train tracks and the Portage hike and bike trail along the river.

Borrow supplies



In addition to cookbooks, you can now borrow a crepe maker, cookie press, apple peeler and more at the main Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St. in downtown Akron.

The library’s hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 pm. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The cooking equipment is kept in the library’s Science and Technology Division, on the first floor. The division’s phone number is 330-643-9075.

The division also has a big supply of novelty, character and special-size cake pans. Borrowers can place a hold and have a pan sent to one of the library system’s branches or the bookmobile.

Cake shows



Acme Fresh Market will host its free Wedding Cake Show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at its Portage Lakes store, 3235 Manchester Road, Coventry Township.

More than 18 cakes will be on display. Brides-to-be will get roses and sparkling wine, along with cake tastings. Register at www.acmestores.com/weddingshow and enter to win a wedding cake.

The following weekend, Reeves Cake Shop will host two free wedding shows, noon to 4 p.m. Feb. 2-3 at 2770 Cory Ave. in Akron.

Visitors will be able to view more than 40 wedding cakes and sample more than 20 popular cake flavors, fillings and icings.

No reservation required. For more information visit reevescakeshop.com, call 330-848-1036 or email info@reevescakeshop.com.

Register at the show to win a free cake that will serve 100 people. Value is $375.

Small bites

• Pizza Palooza runs from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at Stow-Munroe Falls High, 3227 Graham Road, to benefit student programs in the school district.

Thirteen pizza shops and restaurants have signed up to participate. Attendees can cast votes for People's Choice, kids get to vote for their favorite and there's a Judge's Choice award.

In addition to pizza, there will be doughnuts, cookies, various flavors of popcorn and ice cream, plus face painting, inflatables, coloring tables, a balloon artist and more.

Each food item or beverage will cost $1. Go to www.SMFcommunity.org for information.

• The Arthritis Foundation's Red & White runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Quaker Station at 135 S. Broadway in downtown Akron. It features food from area restaurants, wine tastings and Ohio craft beer. Live and silent auctions will be included. Cost is $85 in advance and $95 at the door. Go to www.arthritis.org/redandwhite.

• The Scottish American Society is once again marking the birthday of Robert Burns, often called the national bard of Scotland, and this year's celebration will be Friday — Burns' actual 260th birthday.

It will be at the Stow Youth Baseball Party Center at 4157 Hudson Drive (north of state Route 8). Festivities will run from 6 to 10 p.m. And yup, there will be haggis, that traditional Scottish dish made with sheep's liver and oatmeal, as well as other foods. Cost is $35 in advance and $40 at the door, $20 for ages 12 and under. Go to www.scottishamericansociety.org/id14.html.

• Spend a Night in Vienna from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the the Akron German Family Society, 3871 Ranfield Road in Brimfield Township. Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and will include schnitzel, baked chicken, bread dumplings and Bavarian sauerkraut.

You can work off the dinner at the Austrian ball-themed event by dancing from 7 to 11 p.m. to the Fred Ziwich Orchestra. A youth group presentation will be included. Fancy dress is encouraged, but not required. Cost is $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Reservations required. Call Eva Lehner at 330-335-8985 or Renate Moellmann at 330-633-3949.

• Wine, Cheese & Chocolate, Darling returns to the Akron Civic Theatre at 7 p.m. Feb. 9. More than 45 different wines will be featured, paired with cheese and chocolate from local purveyors.

Cost is $45. Attendees must be at least 21 years old. Last year's debut event was a sellout. Tickets are available by calling 330-253-2488 or visiting www.akroncivic.com. The Civic is at 182 S. Main St. in downtown Akron.

• Kent is offering a winter version of its Restaurant Week that began Monday and will run through Sunday.

Each participating restaurant has a special "prix fixe" offering — a three-course meal for one set price during the week. Restaurants are Belleria, Burnside Barbecue, Erie Street Kitchen, Franklin Hotel Bar, Grazers, Kent State Hotel, Laziza, Tree City Coffee & Pastry, Treno Ristorante, Troy Grille, Water Street Tavern and 157 Lounge.

For information, go to mainstreetkent.org or call 330-677-8000.

Wine tastings

• D'Agnese's Trattoria & Cafe, 566 White Pond Drive in Akron, will host a dinner featuring Sean Minor Wines of California on Wednesday. Arrival begins at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. The menu will feature some of the restaurant's most popular dishes. Cost is $65. Call 234-678-3612 to reserve.

• A Best Buy Reds wine tasting will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Mustard Seed Market in Montrose. It will feature 20 wines that sell for less than $15 a bottle, many of them rated 90 points or better. Appetizers, cheeses and cake are included. Cost is $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Sign up at the store's customer service counter or on EventBrite.

• Celebrate Valentine's Day with a wine tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Merchant Tavern, 1824 Merriman Road in Akron's Merriman Valley. Sparking rose, champagne, whites, reds and dessert will be featured with light finger foods. This is a casual event, where guests fetch their own samples from a table. Cost is $40, pre-sale only. Call 330-865-9510.

Send local food news to Katie Byard at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com. You can follow her @KatieByardABJ on Twitter or on Facebook.