The new owners of the property located at 50 Carmel Road in the Woodsdale neighborhood confirmed that renovations are scheduled to begin this week, according to the president of Wheeling Coin.
The building once housed a former restaurant that was scheduled to remain open until after the first week of February, but the eatery was shuttered by the Ohio County Health Department on January 7 after wastewater was discovered in a crawl space beneath the restaurant’s kitchen.
That closure followed the real estate auction in early October during which Wheeling Coin purchased the property for $380,000. The purchase did not include stock, decorations, the kitchen equipment, poker machines, and furniture, and many articles belonging to the owner of the former restaurant remained inside the structure yesterday afternoon. Herk Sparachane said he hopes the items are removed before renovations begin later this week.
The main floor includes a tavern side that has a room for new machines that will be connected to the state’s limited video lottery system and a large space where pool tables were located for many years. There also are the kitchen and large dining room areas.
“The place needs a lot of work. I can tell you that,” Sparachane said. “I won’t know how much it will cost until I get the local contractors in here to fully assess everything. I do know it needs a new roof, a lot of new flooring, some electrical work, and all new plumbing.
“Our goal is to get it all done in four months so we can open it up by the summer,” he explained. “To do that, there will be a lot of people working here on all of it at the same time. It will be a full-blown construction site.”
What will the eatery be named? Sparachane said the owners of Wheeling Coin have not yet chosen a name for the new establishment. He did report the menu at the bar/eatery would be much smaller compared to what was previously offered at the address. Sparachane’s family, of course, owns Undo’s Family Restaurant in Benwood, Wheeling, St. Clairsville, and Weirton.
“Let’s just say there aren’t going to be that many entrees on the menu,” he said. “I know everyone thinks it’s going to be another Undo’s, but that’s not what we are working on. It’s going to be different than it was and different from my family’s restaurants.
“It’s going to continue to be a neighborhood bar and restaurant like it’s been for more almost 100 years. That part isn’t going to change, but as far as the interior and the food, yes, there will be a lot of changes. We’re going to fix the parking lot, and add some parking, too. It’s going to be a good place.”
