Ranch House is not closing after all.
The diner-style restaurant in east Columbus was scheduled to close last Sunday. Joyce Alexander, the 65-year-old who managed it for eight years, was set to retire.
She still has. But the restaurant has found new ownership and the doors are staying open.
John Hall, a manager at American Eurocopter, learned through a Dispatch article last week about the impending closure. He decided to purchase the restaurant and keep it up and running.
Hall has brought in Minerva Brewer, a local caterer, to manage the restaurant.
Hall and Brewer were introduced at American Eurocopter, where Brewer works as a food contractor. Hall said the moment he tasted her food, he thought she should have a full-fledged restaurant in Columbus. He wasn’t sure if, or when, it would ever happen, though.
When he learned that the restaurant at 807 Alabama St. was closing, he saw an opportunity and began working out the details.
“It was just one of those things,” Hall said Monday. “It happened. I’m excited for the restaurant. I’m excited for the customers. I’m excited for Minerva. Things just fell in place.”
Hall has a bit of a family connection to the restaurant. His stepmother, Margie, and her brother, Bill, built the building that houses the restaurant in 1946.
Everything about Ranch House will stay the same, he said. Breakfast will still be served starting at 5:30 a.m. and a buffet will be available at lunch.
“Our number one priority is keeping those things in place,” Hall said. “We are catering to the loyal customers.”
The one change will begin on Valentine’s Day. Starting that night, the restaurant will serve dinner. Hall described Brewer’s specialties as “homemade casseroles” with a Tex-Mex style.
The restaurant employees 22 people.
It will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s. Other than that, Hall said, it is business as usual.
William Browning was managing editor for The Dispatch until June 2016.
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