John Roo decided to stay put.

Although he ended his franchise agreement with Rise & Dine (now Sunny Street Cafe), he opened his new venture, Grand Day Cafe, in the same 2,400-square-foot location, 1284 W. Fifth Ave., at the corner of Northwest Boulevard.

His latest restaurant, another breakfast-and-lunch spot that seats 80, offers fare typical to the style of eatery: omelets, pancakes, wraps, sandwiches, salads and the like. And, in keeping with tradition, the fare is largely inexpensive, with more entrees and combos in the $5.99 to $7.50 range.

The one exception: the "everything but the kitchen sink" breakfast ($9.49) -- two eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, pancakes and side of gravy or grits.

Seniors get their own deal: an egg, toast, fruit and coffee for $3.19. Everybody who arrives before 8 a.m. gets free coffee, he said.

Roo is also featuring his own signature items, such as guacamole made to order, never-frozen burgers, a Kentucky-style hot brown and signature waffles and pancakes. He buys locally as much as possible, using products from Stan Evans Bakery, Just Pies and the Columbus Cheesecake Co.

One of his designer waffles, which soon will make the regular menu, uses Krema Nut Co. pecans, almonds and walnuts, and is topped with strawberries, almond butter, bananas and whipped cream.
The restaurant is open from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. For more information, call 614-481-3363.

Local diners have heard this before: bonoPIZZA is back. For Bill Yerkes, his new location looks awfully familiar.

The pie factory's latest permanent home is in 400 square feet inside the Corner Market, 1717 Northwest Blvd. just outside of Grandview Heights.

"Thirteen years ago I rented the same space and had a wood-burning oven in there," he said. "I was new to Columbus and we did really well there."

He was open three months but other business ventures took him to Delaware County, where he would open two locations. One he sold, the other one he shuttered because of a landlord dispute.

The long and occasionally frustrating journey of Bill Yerkes most recently led to the Short North, when he subleased a portion of Eleni-Christina Bakery. Prior to that, he spent months gutting a storefront on Holly Avenue, not far from his current post, only to be told by the city of Columbus he didn't meet code. Yerkes never opened there.

But little else changed from the original concept. The pizzeria specializes in thin, hand-crust pies with premium ingredients. Pizzas are $10 each. Crme brulee ($5) is the dessert for the moment.

He said the place had lines out the door his first three days in business, "which is pretty easy when you've only got 12 seats."

It is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Yerkes is considering extending hours. For more information, call 614-906-8646.

The owners of Restaurant Hama are opening Tora, offering sushi, steaks and seafood in the former Milano's, An Italian Experience site in Gahanna. The restaurant, meaning tiger in Japanese, will take over 2,700 square feet of space. Tora, to seat 70, will be open in about three weeks, said an assistant manager at Hama, who asked not to be identified.

Iron Chef is open at long last. The Japanese steakhouse has taken over the Stonecreek Diner location, 12995 Stonecreek Drive, Pickerington. It has a recognizable bill of fare: steak, scallops, shrimp, chicken and the like cooked on stainless steel grills. The menu also includes a lineup of sushi and maki rolls. Most dinner entrees range from $11 to $20; lunches, from $7 to $13. It is open daily. For more information, call 614-868-2105.