Martini’s closes as downtown businesses grow
The future site of YOLO Cafe
YOUNGSTOWN — Friday night, Martini’s Downtown, located in the City Center One building in Youngstown, locked its doors for good.
But it’s not quitting time for owner Matt Sutton. After opening Martini’s 8 1/2 years ago, and previously being the chef at The Youngstown Club, he says he’s ready for a change in atmosphere. He says he likes Youngstown, but downtown businesses are growing too fast and he wants to give the suburbs a shot.
“I’ve been in this city for over 10 years now,” Sutton says. “The amount of places to eat and the quality has outgrown the people eating here now. We could have tried to fight through, but it’s time to make a change.”
Sutton says hopefully by the end of the month, he will have opened YOLO (You Only Live Once) Cafe.
He says his new restaurant, which will be located on the corner of Shields Road and state Route 46 in Canfield, won’t be a lot different from Martini’s, but it will be more family-friendly.
His menu will consist of about 12 “old-world style” dinners, served up in larger portions for families, where each person would pick an entree, and share the rest, he says.
“It forces groups of people to enjoy each other and their time together,” Sutton says.
He says his new menu will focus on Mediterranean-American cuisine.
Michelle Packer, who has been Martini’s manager since it opened, says she’s ready for a change, but isn’t ready to leave her customers behind.
“I’m going to miss it,” Packer says. “I’m going to miss my customers very much. I’m looking forward to the new location, but the people here are like family.”
Packer says that while Martini’s was home to a drinking crowd, YOLO Cafe won’t have a liquor license for its grand opening. Since Canfield is dry, she says they had to collect signatures from residents and the issue will be on the November ballot.
Comments
as a former canfield resident via austintown i can tell you if i were still a canfield resident i would not support a wet (alcohol/liquor licensed) establishment. canfield is the last dry community in youngstown there is a bar outside of the village on 46 and that's it... most people decide to move to canfield to escape the bars that exist in austintown youngstown boardman other wet burbs and you know really I can remember discussing this conversation with a friend who owned a bar in cleveland from back in my college days and years ago before dui laws were made it was like french laisez faire (sp) meaning in english "hands off" no harm intended but now everyone is scared to go to say the grist mill or bill's place or pogos or cedars cause the police or some cop of some sort might nail them for a dui! years ago there were no dui laws on the books and one could go out for a drink or drinks to be social and not have to hire/pay attorneys pay this guy pay that guy etc. what happened to just paying the bartender for the drink(s) because the bar is crowded?! now its pay the dui defense attorney or dui public defender if you are poor financially and can't afford to hire a commercial/high profile youngstown attorney, pay the dui prosecutor, pay the judge, pay the mayor, pay in all directions, pay all the way up and down the line etc.! just my thoughts.
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