A truly family restaurant opens in N. Ridgeville
Alison Dietz
NORTH RIDGEVILLE — After the new sign went up at Gee Gee & Pa Pa’s Family Restaurant last Friday night, the small eatery saw more visitors in the following two hours than they had in the previous two weeks.
Gee Gee & Pa Pa’s has been open since June, but is preparing for an official grand opening on Aug. 1. Its owner is Cathy Muncey, a local school bus driver who worked in the building’s former incarnation, Alex’s Restaurant.
When the former owner decided to sell, Muncey didn’t have to think about it.
“I’ve always wanted to own a restaurant, even when I was young,” Muncey said.
The restaurant is undergoing a lot of renovation, which won’t be stopping any time soon.
Muncey has added a new grill, oven and deep fryer and hopes to expand the restaurant, at 34438 Center Ridge Road, with a coffee bar in the near future.
The grand opening will feature prizes as well as deep discounts on food. The breakfast special will be two eggs, bacon or sausage, home fries, toast and coffee for $2.99, with similar specials throughout the day. There also will be a raffle for a donated Pepsi mountain bike as well as a “cancer blanket” — proceeds from the latter will go to a cancer fund.
Gee Gee & Pa Pa’s unusual name comes from the nicknames given to the owner and her husband, Dana, by their 3-year-old granddaughter, Hope.
“She’ll tell you it’s Gee Gee, Pa Pa, and Hope’s Family Restaurant,” Muncey said, smiling.
Many of the workers at Muncey’s restaurant are family member volunteers, including her sisters Jamie Boyd and Betty Spradling. They work other jobs, but come to the restaurant when they can.
“We’ve never seen so much of our sister,” Spradling said, laughing.
Muncey also has a few non-family employees who nonetheless act like siblings.
As Boyd and Spradling left for their full-time jobs, they were admonished by one waitress for leaving without hugs for everyone.
“If it wouldn’t be for my family, I’d never make it,” Muncey said. “The workers, too, they’ve been awesome.”
Muncey also has a special place in her heart for kids, which is why she’ll be keeping her bus route even after the grand opening. She’ll be taking care of children at the restaurant, too, giving them incentives like suckers or popsicles to finish their meals.
All of the food at Gee Gee & Pa Pa’s is homemade such as potatoes sliced and fried right in the kitchen. There are also daily specials for all meals and diners can get breakfast, lunch and dinner at any time of the day.
The Munceys seek to keep prices down by comparison shopping.
“We knew what we wanted, and we shopped around until we found the price that we wanted,” Dana Muncey said.
They also have a plan to keep people coming back — making sure that diners always feel welcome.
“People want to be catered to,” Cathy Muncey said.
The couple has public relations covered, too. “If you’re unhappy, tell us. If you’re happy, tell everyone,” Dana Muncey tells customers.
Contact Alison Dietz at (440) 329-7128 or metro@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Alison Dietz July 17th, 2008 in Local and State. Popularity: 8% |
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