Downtown Dayton Restaurants: 2007 vs. 2018

Downtown Dayton is enjoying a major resurgence, and just about everyone is in agreement that there’s much more to do today than in decades.

But it’s an interesting experiment to compare the actual number of amenities at two points in time. Thanks to an article from 2007 that I stumbled across, let’s do that with restaurants in the Central Business District (north and west to river, east to Patterson, south to 6th St.).

Downtown Dayton Restaurants (CBD) in 2007

Out of these 33 restaurants, only 7 survive today (in bold).

1. 1. 1. Arcade Seafoods
      2. Breakfast Club
      3. Chantille’s
      4. China Royal
      5. Christo’s Greek Deli
      6. Citilites
      7. Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers
      8. Dayton Racquet Club
      9. Donut & More
      10. Dugout Deli
      11. Flying Pizza
      12. Gold Star Chili
      13. Great Steak & Potato Co.
      14. Limbo’s Bar and Grille
      15. Lucky Dragon
      16. Mandarin Kitchen
      17. Mister D’s Cafeteria
      18. Moraine Embassy Bar & Grill
      19. Mr. Hyman’s Fine Dining
      20. My Favorite Muffin
      21. Polo Grille at the Doubletree
      22. Quizno’s Classic Subs
      23. Roly Poly Sandwiches
      24. Shannon’s Rockin’ Sub Shack
      25. Spaghetti Warehouse
      26. Subby’s (Downtown #1)
      27. Subby’s (Downtown #2)
      28. Subway
      29. Swisher’s Cafe and Catering
      30. Swisher’s Too Cafe and Catering
      31. Terra Cotta Cafe
      32. The 88 Club
      33. Uno Chicago Bar & Grille

As a transplant to Dayton in 2013, I’ve never heard of most of these. I did eat at a few before they closed (Arcade Seafoods, Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers, etc.) and I’m aware of others like the Polo Grille and the Great Steak and Potato Co. because their signs remained long after the restaurants shut down.

Now let’s compare this list with today’s restaurants. I’ll add addresses and brief descriptions from the Downtown Dayton Partnership website (unless noted).

Downtown Dayton Restaurants (CBD) in 2018

1. 1. 1. Carmen’s Deli & Bistro (40 N. Main St.) Fresh salads, wraps, sandwiches, soups and Mediterranean influences in a convenient location for downtown workers.
      2. Citilites (109 N. Main St.) This great business lunch spot features house-made specialties with locally sourced ingredients served up in an atmosphere that is sure to inspire.
      3. CJ Fusion Express (20 S. Main St.) A quick stop featuring Thai and Chinese food for people on the go.
      4. Dayton Woman’s Club (225 N. Ludlow St.) This private club in an elegant, Victorian mansion opens its doors to the public for lunch on Wednesday & Fridays.
      5. De’Lish Cafe (139 N. Main St.) This restaurant and bar features an eclectic menu, along with live entertainment and specialty cocktails.
      6. Donut & More (30 N. Wilkinson St.) Breakfast and lunch items available for carry-out.
      7. The Engineers Club of Dayton (110 E. Monument Ave.) A professional club full of Dayton history, The Engineers Club is open to the public for Sunday brunches and Monday lunches.
      8. The Flying Pizza (223 N. Main St.) New York-style pizza in the heart of downtown Dayton – served whole or by the slice.
      9. Hannah’s (121 N. Ludlow St.) Gourmet grilled cheeses and other sandwiches featuring slow roasted beef, pork tenderloin or chicken (author description).
      10. Homestyle Chili (131 N. Ludlow St.) Offering a wide variety of coney-style hot dogs, 2-ways, 3-ways, and 4-ways, as well as salads and sandwiches.
      11. Liu Garden (210 N. Main St.) Basically the same as the China Royal restaurant it replaced (author description).
      12. Marilyn’s Grill (143 N. Main St.) Serving soul-food classics, wings, burgers, cheesesteaks, short ribs, and other comfort dining staples, plus a breakfast menu and several gluten-free and vegetarian options. (Currently closed but has promised to reopen soon.)
      13. Mudlick Tap House (135 E. Second St.) A “gastropub,” pouring high-end beer and cocktails served with chef-inspired food made from scratch. Our culinary creations are regional variations of traditional pub and tavern fare.
      14. The Ohio Coffee Co. (1 S. Main St.) Breakfast, lunch, organic teas and coffee from a variety of roasters, served in a cozy spot filled with local art and music.
      15. OinkADoodleMoo Express (10 W. Second St.) This restaurant in the KeyBank Tower lobby specializes in fast service and smoky barbecue, along with a variety of sides and ice cream from Young’s Jersey Dairy.
      16. The Spaghetti Warehouse (36 W. Fifth St.) Hearty, made-from-scratch Italian food in a family-friendly atmosphere with quirky, old fashioned decor.
      17. Subway (45 S. Main St.)
      18. Subway (125 N. Ludlow St.)
      19. Table 33 (130 W. Second St.) This full-service breakfast and lunch restaurant and coffee bar uses locally-sourced products and real ingredients to create a unique menu
      20. Third Perk Coffeehouse and Wine Bar (46 W. Fifth St.) This restaurant serves sandwiches, salads and soups, plus breakfast sandwiches, pastries and other baked goods.
      21. Uno Pizzeria & Grill (126 N. Main St.) Family-friendly eatery with a full bar and a broad menu featuring much more than just its signature deep dish pizzas.
      22. View 162 Restaurant at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (33 E. Fifth St.) Elegant dining and jazz with a panoramic view of the city.

Today we only have 22 restaurants, compared to 33 in 2007 (33.3% decrease).

This comparison isn’t perfect as it’s difficult to definitively say what should count and what shouldn’t. For example, the 2007 list included The Racquet Club, which is still open but not normally to the public. But I’ve kept The Engineers and Woman’s Clubs in the 2018 list; neither appears in 2007. I also haven’t included coffee shops that just sell pastries and baked goods or food courts serving a particular organization.

But methodology questions aside, what’s going on here? Why are there fewer restaurants?

One major factor is the question of boundaries. If we expanded to Webster Station, the Oregon District, and other nearby areas, we’d see much different numbers.

Just in the last couple of years, redevelopment projects and new construction have brought many restaurants to Greater Downtown including Webster Station, the Oregon District, and Midtown: Lock 27, Basil’s, Troll Pub, Corner Kitchen, Wheat Penny, Old Scratch Pizza, the list goes on and on. When we’re talking about a vibrant, walkable Dayton core, the strict CBD boundaries don’t really make much sense to use.

But there’s another factor too, which is what made this comparison interesting to me. Although there’s more to do and many more people living downtown today, office occupancy rates were significantly higher in 2007, before the Great Recession and the exodus of many downtown companies.

At the time of the first list in early 2007, Reynolds and Reynolds had over 400 jobs downtown. Over at the KeyBank Tower (though it wasn’t called that yet), KeyBank employed hundreds more workers than today, longtime tenants such as Thompson Hine LLP had over a hundred jobs, and the building’s former anchor MeadWestVaco was just in the process of moving away over 700 jobs.

In 2007, the Fidelity Building still had multiple office tenants, before a burst pipe in 2008 would shut it down for good. Other now-vacant major structures such as the Centre City Building and 34 N Main (Paru Tower), still had tenants on their lower floors. 40 West Fourth (now the Grant Deneau Tower) was nearly fully occupied.

With this in mind, the decrease in CBD restaurants makes sense, as there were so many more downtown workers to cater to in the mid-2000s, even if things might have completely shut down after 5pm, unlike today.

Looking ahead, with major projects like the Arcade looking to get off the ground, and big job wins like the hundreds of Taylor Communications workers moving downtown, hopefully the CBD itself will be able to sustain many new restaurants in the coming years too.

* The Wine Gallery would’ve been on here had I written this two weeks ago. That business’s new owner will likely add another restaurant to this list in the coming months.

** Soon we can also add Olive Mediterranean Grill (44 W. Third St.) which is gearing up to open after moving from its popular location on N Dixie Drive. In the few years I’ve been in Dayton that spot has been occupied by the Third Street Food Court as well as the short-lived Philly Joe’s Steak and Gyro.

***Also worth a mention is Agnes All Natural Grill, which occupied two downtown locations (basement of PNC building before moving to the 111 Building) in just a few years and is still close by in Wright Dunbar as a food truck.