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closeWARNER ROBINS – If your New Year’s resolution was to cut back on eating, you live in the wrong place.
Three new restaurants are likely to make it difficult for area residents to keep those dieting promises.
Adriana Ivanus opened her Greek Village Restaurant at 738 Russell Parkway on Dec. 30.
Sisters Tiffanie and Brittanie Smith followed with their long-awaited Mellow Mushroom pizza and Italian restaurant at the intersection of Lake Joy Road and Ga. 96 on Jan. 5.
And the new Golden Corral Buffet and Grill is scheduled to open on Watson Boulevard in front of the Galleria mall Jan. 26.
Ivanus said she had worked in the restaurant business in Atlanta for about 20 years before deciding to strike out on her own.
“I’m Greek-Italian, but I mostly lived in Romania growing up. I came to America in my early 20s. I worked for friends in their restaurants in Atlanta, but I wanted to find a quieter place where I wouldn’t have as much competition for my product.”
She said she was driving through Warner Robins last summer when she noticed the former location of Fazoli’s and, later, Italian Pie across from the Eddie Wiggins dealership was available.
“As soon as I saw the building, I thought, this is for me.”
Ivanus said she spent about three months paring down all her family recipes and those from her years in Atlanta into a menu for her restaurant, then about two months redecorating and preparing to open.
“We have a Greek chef and an Italian chef, so we can offer any of those meals, even if they aren’t on the menu. Whatever people want.”
She said she has about 15 people working for her now but would like to add a few more servers to be ready to open a patio area at the back of the restaurant in a month or so.
“We’ve been very happy so far. Already our lunch is crowded, and our dinner business is good on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. People come with co-workers at lunch and then back with their families at night.”
The Greek Village Restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Mellow Mushroom
Talk of a Mellow Mushroom coming to Warner Robins began a couple of years ago, so local diners were eagerly awaiting its opening Jan. 5.
“It was crazy,” said Tiffanie Smith. “We opened at 4 p.m., and we had a line wrapped all the way around the building at 3.”
She said business has been good so far. The restaurant has a staff of about 80.
“We’re very grateful to the community for the support they’ve given us and the number of people who have been excited we are here,” Smith said.
She said she is also eager for warmer weather so Mellow Mushroom can open “a huge outdoor eating and entertainment area.”
The restaurant is open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and noon-9 p.m. Sunday.
Golden Corral
The new Golden Corral on Watson is the first franchise to be opened by a new company, YBE Enterprise, which is owned by two NFL football players — Tye Hill of the St. Louis Rams and James Butler of the New York Giants. Hill played at Clemson and lives in Charleston, S.C., in the offseason, and Butler is a native of Bainbridge who was an All-American at Georgia Tech.
Rich Connolly, general manager of the restaurant, said Hill and Butler are clients of the same management company, along with New York Jets player Chansi Stuckey, a native of Warner Robins.
“Tye and James were looking for investment opportunities, so their management company helped them set up YBE and get the Golden Corral franchise for here,” Connolly said. “A lot of people think Chansi is one of the owners, too, but he’s just one of their friends who is interested because this is his hometown. But he may become involved later.”
Connolly was born in New York, went to school in Virginia and worked for Panera Bread for a number of years in South Carolina before being recruited to start up the new restaurant here.
“Right now we’re just concentrating on getting this Golden Corral open and going good, but sure, later on we hope to add other franchises in this general area,” he said.
Connolly said he has hired about 160 local people to work in the restaurant, and most of the subcontractors who built the store were from the area.
“All the people in Centerville and Warner Robins have been very helpful. The folks at the mall have been especially helpful,” Connolly said. “We’re really looking forward to getting open and serving good meals to people.”
The Golden Corral will be open 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.
“We’ll have lunch and supper every day, and breakfast on Saturday and Sunday,” Connolly said.
One new feature different from other Golden Corrals in the area will be a chocolate fixation station in the bakery section.
“Golden Corral is always trying new layouts and ideas, so we’re the first in the area to get this,” the manager said.
To contact writer Chuck Thompson, call 923-6199, extension 235.
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