New eatery planned for former Niki’s diner site
Beppe´ restaurant to take over Main Street location
A family with roots in the restaurant business is moving to create a new eatery at the shuttered Niki’s diner site at 703 N. Main Street.
“We hope to open in the late summer,” said Dominic Morelli, “and we’re in the process now of getting our liquor license, which we hope to have by April or May.”
The new restaurant is to be called Beppe´ and will feature sandwiches, small plates, appetizers and other shareables. Entrees will include salmon, chicken, steak and pasta.
There will be a “slight Italian” influence on the food dishes, said Morelli, 22, who has worked in
restaurants and is about to graduate from college.
“I’ve worked with my dad and I’ve grown up with restaurants,” he said.
The company opening the new restaurant is Morrelli’s Eats, LLC. Morelli is the majority owner and will serve as the general manager. The other owners include his mother Lisa, sister Angelina and father Joseph Morelli.
They are making a $600,000 investment to renovate the old Niki’s building with furniture, fixtures, equipment and buy a liquor license.
Joseph Morelli has been in the restaurant business for 40 years. He has a stake in Crispelli’s Holdings LLC, which owns several Crispelli’s restaurants in the region, including locations in Berkley, Troy, West Bloomfield and Independence Township, as well as Crispelli’s Bread on Main Street in Royal Oak.
Before that, Joseph Morelli worked with the Papa Romano’s franchise for 32 years, according to a Royal Oak police review of the Beppe´ plans.
A police report review is required for any liquor-licensed restaurant seeking approval for its plan of operation.
Beppe´ will serve beer, wine and mixed drinks, but alcohol is expected to be only 20 percent of the restaurant’s sales.
“With a liquor license it solidifies the restaurant and makes it a more elaborate establishment,” Dominic Morelli said. “But we’re not trying to be a bar or a tavern.”
Morelli also plans to offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
“We’ll do a nice weekend brunch with a couple of options,” he said. “But we won’t offer breakfast during the weekdays, at least not at first.”
Royal Oak police Lieutenant Keith Spencer said in his report that it is the first time that an applicant sought approval of their operations plan before having acquired a liquor license.
Due to the burdens placed on the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, Spencer said the police department was not opposed to doing the review.
“My findings indicate the applicants meet the necessary requirements and the police department is not opposed to” the restaurant plan, Spencer said.
Morelli Eats will have to meet all planning, zoning and building requirements. The City Commission is scheduled to vote on the planning of operation for Beppe at its meeting Monday night.
Because the restaurant will be in a location zoned for neighborhood businesses, the commission first has to approve the plan before Morelli Eats, LLC requests a special land use permit from the city Planning Commission.
The 1,576-square-foot restaurant is planned to have seating for 47 patrons, including seven seats at the bar. There will be an outdoor service area with seating for another 28 patrons.
Niki’s was in business since 1986 and popular with neighbors before it closed about 11 months ago.
Morelli said the idea for the new restaurant started last August.
“We saw the location was open and realized we could turn it into something,” he said. “We saw the potential in the spot. We like that it is on Main Street, that it’s near a residential area and people will be walking or taking bikes to come there.”