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The new restaurant is located in the Miami Valley Centre Mall in Piqua, and its founder, Tommy McCoy, is a 2003 graduate of Piqua High School. McCoy also is founder of McCoy's Comfort Foods catering company, and he also operates Sneakers Sports Grille, a sports pub in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
As part of its grand opening, Hannah’s is offering a free appetizer to first responders who are in uniform or have proper identification.
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The “soft opening” limited menu includes Hannah’s Southern Bistro’s signature Gator Bites, made from breaded and seasoned chunks of gator tail served with house-made “swamp sauce;” Catfish Nugget Dinner; Southern Chicken Strip Basket, chicken tenders breaded in Cajun-style seasoning; Buffalo Shrimp; Pulled Pork Nacho, slow-cooked pork shoulder with house-made queso, diced tomatoes and house-pickled jalapenos over tortilla chips drizzled with regular or spicy barbecue sauce; Cowboy’s Cheese Steak, prime rib of beef sauteed with peppers, onions and mushrooms; and the HSB Classic Burger, two Angus beef patties on a toasted brioche roll topped with cheddar cheese. Sides include Bakes Mac & Cheese, Collard Greens and Loaded Tots.
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McCoy is a Texas native who moved to Piqua with his mother 20 years ago. He attended Piqua High School for three years before graduating in 2003. He attended culinary school at Sinclair Community College and obtained a degree in culinary arts from Virginia College. His McCoy’s Comfort Foods offers catering in the Miami County and Dayton area. McCoy’s new restaurant is named for his 17-year-old daughter.
“We want to bring southern cuisine to the area,” McCoy told this news outlet in May. “There’s nothing like this in Miami County or even in Dayton or Montgomery County.”
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For more information, check out the Hannah's Southern Bistro Facebook page at Facebook.com/hannahssouthernbistro.
***ORIGINAL STORY (May 12, 2020)***
Tommy McCoy makes it very clear: His friends, even some of his restaurant colleagues, think he’s nuts.
That’s not stopping him.
McCoy — a 2003 graduate of Piqua High School and founder of McCoy's Comfort Foods catering company who went on to operate Sneakers Sports Grille, a sports pub in Jacksonville Beach, Florida — is poised to open a new restaurant called Hannah's Southern Bistro in the Miami Valley Centre Mall in Piqua in the coming weeks.
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“We’re excited about it,” McCoy said in a phone interview. “We’ve got a signed lease and permits, and we take over the space on the 1st of June.”
Credit: Submitted
Credit: Submitted
McCoy is a Texas native who moved to Piqua with his mother 20 years ago. He attended Piqua High School for three years before graduating in 2003. He attended culinary school at Sinclair Community College and obtained a degree in culinary arts from Virginia College. His McCoy’s Comfort Foods offers catering in the region.
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The coronavirus pandemic may prompt McCoy to open Hannah’s Southern Bistro initially as a carryout-only eatery, but the restaurant founder said he expects his new business to be fully up and operating by early July. The new restaurant will employ 12 to 15.
Hannah’s Southern Bistro — named for McCoy’s 17-year-old daughter — will serve a southern-inspired menu that will include pulled pork made from pork belly, fried catfish and cod, “gator bites,” collard greens and cornbread cake muffins.
“We want to bring southern cuisine to the area,” McCoy said. “There’s nothing like this in Miami County or even in Dayton or Montgomery County.”
And the mall location of Hannah’s Southern Bistro may be just a prelude to a larger project, McCoy said. The restaurateur said he is in discussions to open a larger restaurant as part of Piqua’s Lock Nine riverfront project.
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The Miami Valley Centre Mall got new ownership in late 2019. McCoy said he was approached by the new ownership about the possibility of opening a restaurant in the retail center, which has been shut down due to the pandemic but is scheduled to reopen today, Tuesday May 12.
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