Little York Tavern to open in Kettering

Little York Tavern & Pizza, the popular pub and music destination for nearly 40 years in Vandalia, is planning to add a new location on East Dorothy Lane in Kettering, Little York owner Matt Hentrick confirmed Friday.

The parent company of Little York Tavern & Pizza applied for the equivalent of a full liquor license on earlier this week and is seeking to open a restaurant at 1122 E. Dorothy Lane, in space that most recently house an Arepas & Co Colombian Comfort Food restaurant, Hentrick said.

The second location is still in its early stages of development.

“We want to expand our footprint in the Dayton area, and I’ve been looking to branch out for a while,” the Little York owner said. “Kettering is a good area with a strong residential base.”

Plans call for the second location to focus more on food; carryout and delivery will be an important part of the business in Kettering, although it will also offer a dine-in option and drinks, Hentrick said.

“We’ve been in the pizza business for 32 years, and we’re still going strong,” he said.

Hentrick said the Kettering restaurant will be a second location, and operations at the Vandalia pub at 4120 Little York Road will not be affected.

Little York Tavern & Pizza has operated other franchise sites in the past, including one in Franklin in the late 1990s.

The Kettering space, set back from the road and tucked in behind another business, had earned a reputation as a graveyard of restaurants of sorts in the early 2000s, when a series of restaurants failed to flourish there.