Darlene Hedges and Anthony Augustus, owners of Kahuna Grindz, a food truck specializing in authentic Hawaiian cuisine, is expected to open at 645 W. Second St. next to Papa Johns in October or November.
🍍 Kahuna Grindz features authentic, made-from-scratch dishes like rice bowls, tacos and loco moco. Augustus described loco moco as a comfort dish with rice, brown gravy, shredded cheese, a hamburger patty, Hawaiian slaw and an over-easy egg. Proteins typically offered at the food truck include teriyaki chicken, huli huli chicken, smoked pork and spam. The food truck features fish on Fridays.
Augustus explained they hope to expand their menu when they open the brick-and-mortar location. The restaurant is expected to seat 25 to 30 people and have a tiki bar vibe with a drive-through to pick up food. Other goals include adding Door Dash and bottling up their sauces.
The food truck is stationed at this location for customers Wednesday through Friday for lunch (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) or dinner (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.). They are also open on Saturdays starting at noon unless they have an event pre-planned.
Here are seven more restaurants on the way:
🌮 Don Patron Mexican Grill
Don Patron Mexican Grill announced plans to expand to Xenia on the restaurant’s Facebook page in October 2021.
An employee at the restaurant Tuesday confirmed plans are still in the works to open at 175 Hospitality Drive.
When the restaurant was opening in Fairborn across from Wright State University in 2016, owner Everardo Ascencio told Dayton.com the restaurant serves Mexican-style food from old family recipes. The Fairborn restaurant employs around 20 and has seating for 140 customers.
Dayton.com has reached out to the owner for additional information on the Xenia location.
🍗 Buffalo Wild Wings
A sports bar known for its sauces and seasonings has plans to open a location in Xenia. According to the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, Xenia Wing Co. LLC DBA Buffalo Wild Wings applied for a D-5 permit on Jan. 13 for a center lot off of Hospitality Drive.
Steve Brodsky, economic development coordinator for the city of Xenia, confirmed Buffalo Wild Wings is planned for a lot that sits between Lowe’s Home Center and Wal-Mart.
“The plans they submitted for their zoning application calls for a 6,000-square-foot restaurant plus an outdoor patio,” Brodsky said.
He added there is sufficient space on the site for additional development. However they had not been made aware of any additional plans at that time.
🧇 Waffle House
A 24-hour breakfast chain known for its all-star special that includes waffles and hash browns is opening a new location in the Miami Valley.
Waffle House is projected to open at 1963 Harner Drive in Xenia in December of 2023, according to Njeri Boss, vice president of public relations at Waffle House, Inc.
The casual, dine-in restaurant is located on a 1-acre parcel of land behind the Circle K gas station on Progress Drive, Brodsky explained.
🍦 Dairy Queen Grill & Chill, ☕ Dunkin’ and 🍗 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Three new quick-service restaurants submitted preliminary zoning applications to the city of Xenia, Brodsky told Dayton.com in June 2022.
Dairy Queen Grill & Chill, Dunkin’ and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen are planning to open in the area known as Xenia Gateway, between West Main Street and Greene Way Boulevard, just west of Hospitality Drive.
“The Xenia Gateway project is a joint effort between Greene County and the city of Xenia to promote retail and services in the western portion of Xenia,” Brodsky said.
He explained in October 2018 the Greene County Department of Development issued a request for proposals for developers interested in approximately 15.5 acres of land in Xenia Gateway. BSM Greeneway LLC acquired the land from Greene County for $825,000, Brodsky said.
ALDI, previously located at 201 N. Allison Avenue in Xenia, relocated to Xenia Gateway in June 2020 as the anchor of the project. As the project enters phase two with the development of three new restaurants, it also includes the development of a new Fifth Third Bank branch and a medical office building, Brodsky said.
Brodsky did not have a time frame for when the restaurants could open.
🍽 Carnegie Library
The historic Carnegie Library was acquired by a private business that has plans to renovate the building and turn it into an event venue and restaurant in Nov. 2021.
Xenia council mediated the transfer of the 3,600-square-foot property between the county and a group of Xenia business owners dedicated to bringing the historic building “back to its splendor.”
“This is a building I’ve loved since I was a child,” Bridget Walker, owner of Sweets Boutique, previously said. “It’s an amazing feeling to be able to restore the building and make Xenia a better place to live.”
Walker recently started a TikTok page dedicated to the transformation of the Carnegie Library to an upscale restaurant and event venue.
If you know of a new restaurant with plans to open in Xenia, email natalie.jones@coxinc.com.
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