Dunaways reopens under new ownership
Dunaway’s Beef ‘n Ale in Troy reopened Friday under new ownership.
The restaurant was previously owned by Sandy and Brenda Dunaway, who operated the Irish pub for 33 years until they retired last month. When the couple first opened the establishment it was more of an East coast deli with sandwiches stacked with meats. Over the years, it eventually morphed into a dive bar with food.
The new owners are Dan and Nicole Burns, a husband and wife general contractor team in the Troy area, Andrew Circle, an architect, and a fourth partner. The four real estate investors said they saw a lot of potential in the establishment.
“We want to bring good things to Troy,” said Dan Burns. “Troy is on the upswing.”
With the new ownership, they have shortened the name of the establishment to Dunaways and plan to open it as a pub/restaurant. Over the past three weeks, they have been working on a complete remodel.
“We plan to put quite a bit more into it,” Burns said.
When the restaurant opened on Friday, the kitchen was not be up and running. They plan to open it in May with appetizers, sandwiches, salads and pizzas. Favorites like the Garbage Truck Pizza will return.
The owners wanted to reopen for St. Patrick’s Day because it’s one of the only three-day celebrations north of Miami County.
“This party is such a big thing in the community,” Circle said. “We couldn’t see us not doing it.”
The owners are looking forward to providing another amenity to the community. They hope to fill a need by being open for lunch.
Until the kitchen is up and running, the bar at Dunaways will be open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. They are bringing in a general manager with 27 years of experience in the industry to run day-to-day operations and have plans to hire seven to 10 employees.
Dunaways is located at 508 W. Main St. For more information, visit troydunaways.com.