43
Christopher’s says goodbye to downtown
YOUNGSTOWN
As they mark five years at their location in downtown Youngstown, the owners of Christopher’s at the End of the Tunnel will say farewell to their bar/restaurant on East Federal Street.
It’s more of a “see you soon” than an actual goodbye, however – Christopher’s is not going out of business, but shifting its focus to catering and a new venture that owners Christopher and Shawna Bonacci have long thought about doing: a food truck.
When the married couple/business partners opened Christopher’s in December 2013, it was just a couple of years after the revitalization of downtown Youngstown began.
“I feel like we got in at the right time five years ago when it [opening a restaurant] was kind of scarce,” Christopher said. “Now it seems like so many are popping up.”
Over the years, the Bonaccis say they found themselves dealing with a welcome problem: They were outgrowing their space in the lower level of the City Centre One building. As they developed a strong lunch business, the lack of a commercial kitchen space made meeting demand a challenge.
“We’re leaving because we wanted to do something to grow, and we don’t have a full kitchen here,” Shawna explained. “We decided to look into investing and putting a kitchen in ... but we kind of got this light-bulb moment where we thought we could use this money to invest in something else.”
So the Bonaccis decided it was time for a change.
They have a full commercial kitchen off-site that they use for their catering business, which they will continue.
They also have purchased a food truck, which will give them the flexibility for which they’re looking.
“We can do anything on [the food truck] – sandwiches, pasta, soups, salads. We might bring back our potatoes, which became kind of famous down here,” Christopher said.
This next move is yet another chapter for a couple with a long history in the food-service business. Christopher has been working as a chef for more than 15 years, and he and Shawna have run the catering business together since 2006.
As for what the future holds, the Bonaccis say they hope to one day find a permanent location. But for now, you can find them in their food truck, which they plan to park downtown, as well as other locations.
You also can enjoy one last night at Christopher’s at the End of the Tunnel next Friday, which will host a closing party starting at 6 p.m. That will be the last night the bar/restaurant is open.
As for what’s next for the space in City Centre One, the building’s owner hopes to have a new tenant in there soon.
Richard Mills, president of Ohio One Corp., which owns City Centre One, said he could not discuss specifics just yet, but the company has had “several inquiries.”
“We’re actively looking for a new operator through Platz Realty Group,” he said. “We’re very optimistic we’ll have another operator in the next 60 days.”