Murray’s Pub opens in former Murray’s Place space in Kettering

The gathering spot has new ownership and management, but also some familiar faces

Murray’s Pub & Grub opened Friday at 2866 S. Dixie Drive in Kettering, in the space that previously housed Murray’s Place.

The pub is under new ownership and management, but that doesn’t mean customers won’t find some familiar faces there, according to Kent Kumbroch, who purchased the building and hired a manager, David Stuart, to operate the business. Kumbroch was a customer under the previous ownership.

“One of the things that made Murray’s special was the people who worked there,” Kumbroch said. “So we contacted many of the former staff and were able to hire many of them back.”

Murray’s Place closed in March. The new operators renovated the interior and purchased new equipment for the kitchen, spending about $100,000 in upgrades, Kumbroch said.

Kumbroch previously owned the former Amici’s Place that operated on East Dorothy Lane in Kettering for seven months in 2011, in a space that now houses Arepas Colombian Comfort Food’s Kettering location.

Kumbroch, who also is president of Electro-Polish Inc. in Dayton, operated Amici’s Place himself, but sold the restaurant primarily because of time constraints, he said in early 2012.

Kumbroch said he and Stuart collaborated on the new restaurant’s food offerings.

“We mostly updated Murray’s old menu, but there’s some carryover from Amici’s,” he said.

Stuart said he expects the pub’s cheesesteak sandwich and “Mom’s Noodles” with chicken to be among the new Murray’s most popular dishes. The pub is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and will serve brunch on weekends.

The pub’s liquor license was obtained Friday afternoon. Murray’s had been in a “soft-opening” mode earlier this week, serving food and non-alcoholic drinks. A grand opening is in the works for March 1, Stuart said.

For more information, check out the Murray’s Pub & Grub Facebook page at

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