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Mocha House may make moves on Austintown market
AUSTINTOWN
A Tim Hortons Cafe and Bake Shop won’t be coming to Austintown after all, because the company decided not to build the facility.
No details have been released as to why the Tim Hortons is no longer being built, but a company representative said it was merely a business decision.
Tim Hortons was supposed to go on a site near state Route 46 and Interstate 80 that once housed a BP convenience store, which was demolished. The site is now clear, and township officials said it is available for other businesses to build on. Mocha House business representatives in Warren have expressed interest in the site.
“Right now, we are still thinking about the planning phases of it,” said Nick Liakaris, Mocha House vice president.
One of the issues Mocha House reps have with the site is the layout, which would limit seating space. Liakaris said with minimal seating, the facility would be more drive-thru based.
“We are excited to have a drive-thru operation, but we don’t really want to be skewed just toward that. We want to do that [drive-thru], but do that as a combination [cafe and drive-thru],” Liakaris said.
If the site doesn’t end up being what Mocha House wants, Liakaris said they still are looking to locate in the Austintown market.
“We just want something conducive for what it would do with what we want to do there. ... We want to do what we want to do, 100 percent,” Liakaris said.
Mocha House also is looking for a partner to run the store through a licensing agreement.
“We would prefer to partner up with someone,” Liakaris said. “It is very important for the owner to be on the premises.”
He said public interaction with the facility owner is important in Mocha House’s business practices.