Ronnie G’s grand opening on Valentine’s Day
When the new owners of Ronnie G’s Pizza thought about what day they should hold their grand opening, they decided on Saturday, Feb. 14- Valentine’s Day.
“It’s our favorite holiday,” said Kristina Mullins of the new family business. She’s the manager, and mom Shelly Mullins is the new owner.
“For me and my mom, Valentine’s has always been our favorite holiday because we like roses and chocolates ourselves, it’s coming into spring and it gives you chance to spend time with your loved ones. And we love surprises,” sha said.
They also thought it was appropriate because their color there is red, in some decor and in their uniforms.
Also part of the “family affair” is that two other members of the family helped get the restaurant ready to open.
“Paul Gregory is my step-father who did the bulk of the redecorating of the restaurant. We wanted to achieve a new look,” said Kristina.
Also brother Jimmy Mullins came in from out of town to be involved and came down from the North just to do the redecorating.
The family is excited about the new business venture.
“I’ve always wanted to own a restaurant,” said Shelly. She’s originally from Ohio, the Dayton area, and has now lived in the area for about six years.
They like the new location.
“We’re happy to serve our neighbors here in the LYNX shopping center, and they were very excited about our opening,” she said.
On Feb. 14, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m, there will be outdoor grill specials, and from 6 to 9 p.m. dinner specials.
“We’re going to have an open grill, with hamburgers and hot dogs out front from 11 .m. to 2 p.m., and we’re doing a special for dinner for two – $15.99 for two, that includes a large 16-inch pizza or two large spaghetti dinners,” said Kristina.
They’ll also have drink specials – wine is two for one and a bucket of beer is five for $10.
“We’d like to see some couples come out for italian cuisine and a variety of wines for a romantic evening,” she added.
Both women said pricing is a big part of how they developed the menu.
“It was really important to us to have reasonable priced items so people could enjoy good food at low cost in this economy. We also wanted to concentrate on a fun atmosphere,” said Kristina.
She calls it an “Italian restaurant with a sports bar twist.”
“Next football season we’re going to focus on football,” she added.
Her team is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“My high school sweetheart grew up in Pittsburgh and they’re a great team.”
Kristina said she moved here to help with the business – and for the weather.
“And the people are friendly here, and we already seem to be getting a good response.”
They’ve only been open a short time, but already people are offering suggestions. They have daily specials like a Philly sandwich, which one customer suggested they add to the menu.
They’re boaters in their spare time.
“We spend a lot of time on our boat, we go out of Charlotte Harbor,” said Shelly. “We’ve taken a few long trips from there to Fort Myers Beach. We shark fish. We go out to Stump’s Pass, toward Boca Grande. We catch shark after shark there.”
Ronnie G’s Pizza is located at 6351 Bayshore Rd., in the Bayshore Center near Slater Rd. (known around town as the Lynx Shopping Plaza.)
Hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the phone number is 567-4100.