HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Dave's Taverna Express restaurant is moving one block to Dukes Liberty gas station and convenience store, reported The Daily News Record.
Dave Miller, who also owns and operates Dave's Downtown Taverna, said he hopes to expand the Taverna Express business with a larger kitchen, seating for 20 and expanded storage.
[The station] will continue to be called Dukes Liberty, Miller told the newspaper. We'll run Dave's, maintain a small convenience store and manage the [gas] pumps.
Dukes Liberty [image-nocss] is owned by Holtzman Corp., and will continue to provide gasoline, said company president Bill Holtzman. Any time you can partner with someone like Dave, it usually works well, Holtzman told the paper.
Holtzman closed the station the first of August. A $50,000 renovation of the building is under way and should be finished by early September, said the report. It will be totally renovated when he opens, Holtzman said. It's a combined effort. We'll do the structural work and [Miller] will handle the restaurant part.
Miller said he plans to close the current Dave's Taverna around August 31. We should reopen at the Liberty station around mid-September, he added. We don't want to close for any significant length of time.
The property, which also houses a CITGO gas station, c-store and a Dairy Queen, is owned by Sanjeev Buhta, the report said.
Dave's Downtown Taverna is an upscale eatery with a Greek and Italian menu, according to its website. It also offers live entertainment.
Miller hopes to grow the Taverna Express business, which is currently about 30% to 40% of what the Downtown Taverna does. We'd like to jump that up to 60% or 70% of what we do downtown, he said. And we want a business that's not subject to seasonal downturns.
A large portion of the restaurant's business comes from James Madison University students, many of whom leave town during the summer, according to the Daily News Record. Miller said he plans to maintain his customer base of students and expand the business with the general public.
The c-store and gas station get significant early-morning traffic, while the Taverna Express does strong dinner and late-night business, he added. And about half the restaurant's business is delivery. That's limited now by the size of the kitchen and the number of phone lines, Miller said. We'll increase both.
Both Miller and Holtzman are upbeat about co-branding, or running two different businesses at one location. Foodservice in convenience stores and gas stations has become a trend, Holtzman told the paper. People want to grab something to eat, buy gas and pick up some chewing gum or cigarettes at one stop.
Holtzman Corp. owns a number of such operations. The company has 65 gas station/convenience store operations throughout the Shenandoah Valley and into Northern Virginia and West Virginia. Most have accompanying restaurants like Burger King, Denny's, Blimpie and Godfather's Pizza.
Holtzman would be interested in expanding the Taverna Express into gas stations beyond Harrisonburg, if it works and if [Miller] is interested.
We're open to ideas, Holtzman said. The more things you can offer the traveling public, the better.
[Co-branding] typically is with a national chain, Miller said. What we're excited about is an opportunity to grow a fresh concept.
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