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Rip’s Cafe and the Hunky Platter are back
STRUTHERS
Let’s answer the most important question first; yes, Rip’s Cafe will continue to serve the Hunky Platter every Thursday.
For those not in the know, Rip’s Cafe is a beloved Struthers bar and restaurant on the corner of Maplewood Avenue and Youngstown-Poland Road, and the Hunky Platter – Rip’s signature dish – is a plate full of stuffed cabbage, halusky and three pierogi.
The bar closed last December and re-opened Thursday under new ownership and the same name.
George Repasky – nicknamed ‘Rip’ – opened the original Rip’s in 1933 on Bridge Street as a refuge for steel workers leaving their shifts at the mills that lined the Mahoning River. It was the first establishment in Struthers to have a state liquor license for serving whiskey, wine and beer by the glass. The bar moved to its current spot in 1958, with ownership passing down through the Repasky family.
In Struthers, Rip’s is venerated with the same fervor that Youngstown-dwellers have for the Golden Dawn, and losing the establishment was a blow to the city’s collective identity. So it’s no surprise that the bar’s return has stoked interest among the faithful that frequented the establishment during its first 85 years.
This obvious customer base wasn’t lost on its new owners, Jeff Smith and Bob Deagan. When the men decided they wanted to go into business together, they initially weren’t looking to operate a bar; they simply wanted to purchase the plaza where the bar was located. So they did and inherited the Rip’s legacy.
“I actually live here on Maplewood, and I saw ‘For Sale’ signs up at the plaza when I’d drive by. So we bought it and got Rip’s with it. Considering the history we felt it would be good to continue running it as Rip’s and to keep the tradition going, including the Hunky Platter,” Deagan said.
Deagan and Smith aren’t quitting their day jobs to run the bar; Deagan owns Valley Awning and Tent and Smith is a construction contractor. Neither have any experience running a bar.
Aware of that fact, they’re counting on their team to manage the day-to-day operations.
Sammy Frye, a manager, is a young but experienced bartender who seems genuinely excited for the chance to run the show behind the bar. Taking the reigns in the kitchen – and thus the new master of the Hunky Platter – is Gaeton Thompson, a Jamaican-born chef with a fascination for Amish culture and who, apparently, makes a mean barbecue.
Though none of the staff of the former iteration of Rip’s is returning, Marilyn Watt, Repasky’s granddaughter and the former owner, has helped the new staff during the transition and will assist Thompson on Thursdays to make the Hunky Platter. She spent the afternoon at the bar on its opening day Thursday.
“It’s doing great, and I hope they do wonderful. All of our customers are coming back. They all showed up with smiles on their faces because even though it’s new it’s still the same, too,” Watt said.
Though Rip’s will have old favorites and standards – such as burgers, hot dogs and chili – Thompson will also keep the offerings fresh by developing new items for the menu as time goes on.
The name and the Hunky Platter aren’t the only holdovers from the original bar: A large mural, depicting a curvy script spelling out “Rip’s Cafe fine food and spirits” among vines and flowers still adorns the wall.
Outside, a faded but still legible menu is painted onto the wall facing Maplebrook Avenue, and – once it’s finished being restored – the original Rip’s Cafe red, white and blue sign will once again hang above the bar’s storefront. On the bar’s back wall is a collection of photos from the old days.
Smith said that keeping the name and artifacts from the original bar has gone a long way toward endearing the new establishment to its former regulars.
“When we told people we were buying it and keeping it the same, their eyes lit up,” Smith said. “It was unbelievable, even people from outside of Struthers were excited to hear we were going to run it as Rip’s.”
Rip’s is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. until midnight, with flexible closing hours on Sunday.