YSU explores opening new campus restaurant

By DENISE DICK

denise_dick@vindy.com

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Youngstown State University is moving ahead with plans to reopen a restaurant near campus and level a nearby building.

“The plan, tentatively, is to explore opening Mighty Moe’s as a restaurant and to demolish the Rayen building and convert it into space for parking for the restaurant,” YSU spokesman Ron Cole said.

“We have retained Brownfield Restoration Group to conduct an environmental assessment of the Rayen building and assist the university in submitting a Clean Ohio grant application for site demolition and/or remediation of the building,” he said.

The university hopes to have the Rayen building demolished before opening the restaurant, he said.

There have been talks of having the restaurant operated by Sodexo, the university’s food service company.

In 2009, YSU trustees voted to purchase both properties from owner Mohammad Fard, but in early 2010, the state controlling board, which must approve such public spending, denied the university’s request to buy The Rayen, at 158 W. Rayen Ave., for use as a future parking lot.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com