New restaurant sets opening date in former Max & Erma’s in Beavercreek

The former Max & Erma’s restaurant in front of the Mall at Fairfield Commons will be reborn in about six weeks with a new name and a new concept.

Construction is on track for a projected opening date of Oct. 2 for the new MacKenzie River Pizza Grill Pub, a spokesman for the restaurant chain and a spokeswoman for the Fairfield Commons mall told this news outlet Thursday.

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The Max & Erma’s restaurant in that space at 2739 Fairfield Commons Blvd. shut down in April, 16 months after the entire Max & Erma’s chain was bought out by Montana-based Glacier Restaurant Group. 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 has completed just such a re-branding and renovation at a former Max & Erma’s in the Polaris retail center in north Columbus.

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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,” James Blystone, Glacier’s vice president of franchising and communication, told this news outlet 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.”

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

And when the MacKenzie River concept opens, it is expected to hire more than double the precious Max & Erma’s workforce. “We plan to employ approximately 80 to 90 people,” Blystone said.

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