| *** Tear Drops Steak House to open in downtown Dayton Credit: Natalie Jones Carl Johnson, the owner of Members Only 937, is opening a steak house in the former location of 1Eleven Flavor House with his nephew, Celebrity Platinum Chef Jay Jones. Tear Drops Steak House is expected to open this spring — March or April — at 111 W. First St. in Dayton. “We as Daytonians have to be proud of our community and we have to make it right to get people to come to Dayton,” Johnson said. “We have a lot to offer here and we want to be a part of that.” The steak house will feature elevated fine dining with servers giving guests a show. For example, the server will top the steaks with the restaurant’s signature “tear drop,” a mixed herb garlic butter, that guests can watch melt down the steak. They are in the midst of building the menu, but some items customers can expect include Cajun spiced calamari, Philly cheesesteak sliders, homemade dinner rolls with honey butter, salads, smash burgers, steaks, seafood, smothered lobster pasta, a variety of sides and desserts such as red velvet pound cake and sweet potato cheesecake pie. The steak house will be open for lunch and dinner. Johnson said they hope to add a patio to the restaurant, in addition to valet parking. Waffle House restaurants see temporary surcharge of 50 cents per egg The Waffle House located at 1107 E. Dayton Yellow Springs Road in Fairborn has a sign posted on the front door saying that they've added a temporary 50 cent per egg surcharge due to the nationwide rise in cost of eggs. NATALIE JONES/STAFF Credit: Natalie Jones Some Waffle House restaurants in the region have signs posted that say the company has added a temporary surcharge on eggs. “Due to the nationwide rise in cost of eggs, we’ve added a temporary 50 cent per egg surcharge,” the sign reads. “Thank you for understanding.” The “dramatic increase in egg prices” is stemming from an egg shortage caused by bird flu, Waffle House said in a statement to CNN. The average price of a dozen eggs hit $4.15 in December 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In December 2023, a dozen of eggs cost $2.51. According to the restaurant’s website, Waffle House serves 272 million eggs each year with more than a dozen family-operated farms supplying the restaurants with eggs. Most recent closure announcements in Dayton region Credit: Natalie Jones We started this week with the news of Tim Hortons closings its cafe and bake shop at 3010 Kettering Blvd. in Moraine. “After years of serving our wonderful community, we regret to inform you that we have made the difficult decision to close our Tim Hortons location,” a sign posted at the cafe reads. “This was not as easy choice, as we have truly cherished being a part of your daily routines, special moments, and everything in between.” Customers are encouraged to visit its nearby location at 959 Patterson Road in Dayton for coffee, baked goods and meals. This news comes after two restaurants in the region announced upcoming closures last week. Old Dayton Pizza at Riverside Hideaway will be closing its doors end of shift Feb. 10. The restaurant is cash only. The Local 937 sandwich shop’s final day of business will be Feb. 27 in the St. Anne’s Hill Historic District. The owner plans to move her real estate brokerage into the space. Quick Bites 🍗 Local restaurant owners: Carryout orders rise on Super Bowl Sunday 🍴 Butter Café hosting ‘pay what you can’ spaghetti dinners: The restaurant will be seating people from 5 to 7:30 p.m. every Sunday in February. READ MORE 🍸 New speakeasy to open in West Carrollton on Valentine’s Day: Whisperz Speakeasy, a prohibition-era style cocktail lounge, is located at at 926 Watertower Lane. 🍊 New juice, smoothie bar to open in Fairborn: Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar will be located at 2012 Commerce Center Blvd. next to Chipotle in The Shoppes at Valle Greene II near Kroger. Meet the executive chef at Crooked Handle Brewing Co. Credit: Natalie Jones Eric Bedel, the executive chef at Crooked Handle Brewing Co. in Piqua, has nearly 35 years of experience cooking with time spent in places like Indianapolis, Nashville, Detroit and Fort Collins. His favorite part of his job is being in the brewery talking to people. “I love cooking. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fantastic. It’s my passion, but I’ve also noticed through my years of travel... you never see the chef in the dining room,” Bedel said. “You never see them and you never feel like they want you there. It’s different here.” A love for making people feel good through food Originally from Dayton, Bedel moved to Florence, KY when he was 8 years old. “That’s really when I got into spending a lot of time with my family,” Bedel said. “My great grandmother is actually my inspiration. I remember cooking with her when I was young and she just kind of taught me that love was made in the kitchen.” His first job in the restaurant industry was at 14 years old. He was a dishwasher at a steakhouse. Finding his home at Crooked Handle Before coming to Crooked Handle, Bedel worked at the Hilton Garden Inn Dayton South-Austin Landing and was the food and beverage manager at Crowne Plaza on East Fifth Street in Dayton. He joined the Piqua brewery as an assistant sous chef in July 2023 and was promoted to executive chef in September 2023. What to expect at the Piqua brewery “We’re going to have a lot of the stuff that a normal brewery would have. We just take it up a notch,” Bedel said. “We want to make sure you get good quality restaurant food at a reasonable price.” The house smoked wings or the traditional wings served with one of the brewery’s sauces such as buffalo, Carolina gold, BBQ, garlic parmesan or habanero garlic is a customer favorite. Other favorites include: Smoked Brisket Sandwich (brisket, caramelized onion, smoked gouda and roasted garlic aioli piled high atop a toasted baguette)Winter Salad (local spring mix, pecans, dried crazins and gorgonzola served with a balsamic vinaigrette)The Rangoon (a cream cheese base topped with crumbled crab cake and finished with sweet Thai chili sauce and green onion) For those looking for dessert, the brewery has turtle lasagna featuring layers of chocolate, caramel and pecan with cheesecake and chocolate pudding filling. WATCH: Crooked Handle executive chef makes smoked brisket sandwich Tell Us Thank you so much for reading my weekly newsletter! If you see a new restaurant opening or are wondering when an establishment is expected to open, feel free to email me here, and I’ll check it out. Remember to follow Dayton Daily News on Facebook or search our Food & Dining section for the latest stories. 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