A family-owned restaurant in Belle Center is continuing its legacy of serving homemade, high-quality fare in a friendly and comfortable small town setting, with a new generation taking over ownership earlier this year.
Jacob Holycross purchased the Belle Center Diner and Pizzeria Jan. 1 from his parents Ernie and Tammy Holycross, and has been enjoying welcoming new and returning customers ever since.
Guests can enjoy the tastes of home for dine in, carry-out or delivery, such as meatloaf and lasagna on the menu regularly as daily specials, along with fish and shrimp Fridays, steak nights; Jacob’s favorite, their made-from-scratch pizzas; and a wide variety of other menu options.
“I’ve been here since the beginning,” Jacob said of his role helping out while his parents had the restaurant for nearly 10 years.
“We have a lot of regulars and it’s a good, solid business. We’ve got some changes and renovations in store, and we’re looking forward to seeing it grow.”
Ernie and Tammy are still involved in some aspects of the day-to-day operations at the diner, located at 102 W. Buckeye St., but they’re enjoying a more low-key role working toward retirement.
“My mom still helps prep food, and my dad helps out with deliveries at night,” said Jacob, a 2009 Ridgemont High School graduate, who worked at Honda as a technician and engineer for a number of years, and more recently at High Point Concrete.
“It’s been part of our family and life for so many years. It would’ve made me sad if it had to close as my parents retire.”
The family’s restaurant roots at the corner of Buckeye and Elizabeth streets run deep, as Jacob’s sister Jesse owns the Dairy Corner across the road at 101 W. Buckeye St., which their parents also used to run.
The space now occupied by the Belle Center Diner and Pizzeria has a long history in the village, as it was a car dealership and gas station when Ernie was growing up there, his son noted.
More recently, it was May’s Pizza Station, operated by Carl and Penny May, before the Holycross family purchased it.
When his parents took over ownership, Jacob invested himself in ensuring that the pizza would be top-notch and corresponded with the General Mills baking department head on the dough recipe that the pizzeria now uses. The recipe incorporates Harvest King unbleached, never-bromated flour.
Their sauce and dough are made from scratch using fresh, never frozen ingredients, which makes a big difference in the final product, Jacob noted.
Specialty pizzas include vegetarian, taco, Hawaiian, chicken bacon ranch or barbecue, supreme, bacon cheeseburger and deluxe meat. French bread pizzas and gluten-free pizza options also are available, along with calzones.
Subs are on the menu as well, featuring meatball subs, Italian, BLT, Philly steak and other options.
Deluxe burgers, specialty sandwiches and wraps include mushroom Swiss burgers, barbecue bacon burgers, triple decker sandwiches, turkey bacon wraps, tuna melts, Reuben sandwiches and many others.
Soups and salads are available as well, and this fall season, the soups are particularly delicious, Jacob’s girlfriend Melanie Hancock said. The U.S. Navy veteran was hired last year and has quickly moved into an important role behind the scenes in helping ensure restaurant operations run smoothly.
Jacob’s son Gabriel, age 12, is also a familiar face at the business, with customers enjoying watching him grow up, his father said. He enjoys popping out the pizza drive-up window with customers’ orders and assisting in other ways, when he’s not at school, playing sports, raising his 4-H animals or helping on the family farm.
The restaurant proudly partners with Stemble’s Meat for its fresh hamburger, steaks and other high-quality meat products, Jacob said.
To finish off their meal, guests can enjoy a slice of homemade pie, with flavors changing up seasonally.
Online ordering is available at orderspoon.com, with a link on the restaurant’s Facebook page, or call the business at (937) 464-5927.
Delivery is available for customers within a 10-mile radius, reaching Rushsylvania, Roundhead, rural Bellefontaine and parts of Indian Lake and Kenton.
The Belle Center Diner and Pizzeria is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. Friday; and 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday. The restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday.
