New restaurant opens today at Mall at Fairfield Commons

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

What to Know
By Mark Fisher
Nov 20, 2017
X

A new-to-the-market restaurant concept opens its doors today, Monday Nov. 20, at the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek.

The former Max & Erma's restaurant in front of the mall, which shut down in April, will be reborn today as MacKenzie River Pizza Grill Pub.

“It has been a long road with construction, but we have weathered it and are excited to welcome the community,” James Blystone, vice president of franchising and communication for Glacier Restaurant Group, told this news outlet today, Friday, Nov. 17.

RELATED: Max & Erma’s Beavercreek to close; new pub already in works (April 2017)

The restaurant seats about 220 and employs between 80 and 90 people, Blystone said. That’s about double the number of employees Max & Erma’s had when it shut down in April. MacKenzie River will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week.

MacKenzie River Pizza Grill Pub will open Monday at the Mall at Fairfield Commons. This photo shows the MacKenzie River restaurant that opened earlier this year at the Polaris Center in Columbus. FILE

icon to expand image

The Max & Erma’s restaurant in that space at 2739 Fairfield Commons Blvd. shut down 16 months after the entire Max & Erma’s chain was bought out by Montana-based Glacier Restaurant Group.

RELATED: Fairfield Commons restaurant makes list of ‘fastest growing’

While the chain’s new owners are keeping some Max & Erma’s open, Glacier Restaurant Group is converting others to its MacKenzie River concept. It recently completed just such a re-branding and renovation at a former Max & Erma’s in the Polaris retail center in north Columbus.

The MacKenzie River Pizza Grill Pub “is all about fresh ingredients, scratch kitchens, creative cocktails, and a diverse beer section in our casual rustic Montana atmosphere that depicts the heart and soul of the Rocky Mountains,” Blystone said in April.

RELATED: Springboro Max & Erma’s closes permanently (January 2016)

“We wanted to give the Beavercreek community a new exciting dining option,” Blystone said. “This location worked fine for Max & Erma’s, but as we continue to expand the MacKenzie River Pizza Grill Pub, we look for opportunities that we feel are a great fit for this brand.

“We are confident the Beavercreek location and the community will embrace MacKenzie River’s scratch kitchen, extraordinary service and mountain ambience.”

The Mall at Fairfield Commons area has been a hotbed of restaurant activity this year. Melt Bar & Grilled and Fusian are among those restaurants that have opened, and a Flyboys Deli is just a couple of weeks away from its grand opening.

In Other News
1
Friday the 13th: What is so unlucky about it?
2
Jump start gardening by making a plan
3
Lily’s Dayton executive chef’s deviled eggs are tested by other chefs
4
Watch: Track for new roller coaster delivered to Kings Island
5
Locals who have appeared on Food Network share their experiences

About the Author

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.