Restaurant renovation

The restaurant business is known to be one of the riskiest, and the owners of a renovated local staple know that weight.
“I’ve cried over there. I’ve quit over there. I cursed over there a few times,” jokes Trusty Woods Restaurant co-owner Tim Combs.
The renovation of the former Meinerdings Restaurant in downtown Fort Recovery has been an almost complete overhaul of the building since October by new restaurateurs Shonda and Tim Combs. Painting the exterior a light blue and bringing together the aesthetic of metal and wood on the inside, Shonda Combs and her husband have finally made their dream a reality with a restaurant atmosphere of “modern yet historical.”
“Every room’s been touched. We tried to make it a feeling … to me, if I met him and he was from here, where would I allow him to take me on my first date?” said Shonda Combs. “The feeling in here is exactly what I wanted. The space lends itself to what we want to achieve.”
While the building has been heavily renovated, the owners have kept recognizable staples in the restaurant, such as the original bar that dates back to the 1940s.
Keeping that history was important to the couple, as it’s a central aspect of the community and its residents.
“What this should mean to the community, and I’m sure it does already, is to not have to see a historical building in such disrepair,” said Shonda Combs. “It’s been an investment to the community so really we could walk out the door and they have an amazing building on this corner.”
Other than the blue exterior, one of the most visible changes to the restaurant is its name. The owners suspect residents will continue to reference it as Meinerdings, but the new name alludes to the atmosphere change of the bar and restaurant through a reference to Bob Seger’s “Night Moves”, one of Shonda’s favorite songs.
“I fell in love with that song a long time ago,” said Shonda Combs, adding that the lyrics paint a picture of having good times with your friends in a private, dependable place — something she’d like customers to find in her restaurant.
Serving a range of fresh American homestyle foods, from biscuits and gravy to pork chops and eventually steak, the duo wants the restaurant to feel like home, which it actually is to them as they live above the restaurant.
Individually, Shonda and Tim both have backgrounds in business, with Shonda working in business development and Tim earning a bachelor’s degree in business, and they realize the sacrifice and risk they’re taking in starting a new restaurant, as they moved from their friends, family and home in Preble County to begin this new phase of their lives.
“The whole family has sacrificed for what’s coming up this weekend,” said Tim Combs, with the restaurant holding a soft opening today.
With the soft opening continuing through the weekends in July with a limited menu and space, Shonda and Tim hope to spend the next few weeks getting feedback from customers and staff alike on what food and service works for them before officially opening Aug. 1.
“We hope to do well. We hope that it goes over OK, but it’s also an opportunity for the community to come in and see the building,” said Shonda Combs.
The Combs hope to add a higher-end pizza carryout to the restaurant in the future if everything goes well with the soft and grand openings, but for now, it’s one step at a time.
Regardless of whether the restaurant and bar is a success or not, the couple believes they’ve accomplished something special and would be able to walk away feeling proud.
“If all else,” said Shonda Combs, “we can walk across the street and say, ‘Wow, look what we did.’”[[In-content Ad]]