First, a major makeover.
Next, a brand new menu.
Cracker Jacks’ new owners have spent thousands of dollars in renovations since they took over the Keefer Road restaurant in mid-September, said general manager Michael Zappitelli.
Fern Colavecchia and Tony Visca are also the owners of Johnny Rocco’s Italian Grill—both the St. Catharines and Niagara Falls locations—as well as Mick and Angelo’s on Lundy’s Lane, added Zappitelli.
And they started with a clean slate.
“Everything got gutted,” said the manager, “Washrooms, kitchen equipment, full new bar fridges and draft lines.”
Their menu changes are expected to appear at the Confederation Heights eatery very soon, he told ThoroldNews.
“We haven’t launched our new menu yet but will do it next week. We will stay true to Cracker Jacks’ but gear it more towards burgers, poutines and wings. We are implementing a lot of new entrees,” he stated, such as New York strip steaks, which customers have been requesting.
“There will be more quality in the food, and it will look more appealing.”
Equipped with a staff of about 25, they’re hoping to make it more of a family establishment, according to Zapitelli, with “All the right systems in place for functionality and organization,” to offer various convenient dining options.
“We want to be more of a restaurant. There are a lot of families in this neighbourhood and we wanted to give Thorold families a place to eat that doesn’t have lots of students drinking. We are doing take-outs, catering menus for parties, and Skip the Dishes (delivery) for students, like at all the other locations.”
Despite all the improvements, customers shouldn’t expect to see any major price hikes, said Zapitelli; “Maybe 10 or 20 cents more” per meal. “The menu hasn’t changed in eight years and neither have the prices.”
He hopes to complement the current Saturday night karaoke offering with a mix of live acoustic music. In addition, the Cracker Jacks weekly music trivia contest has become popular each Wednesday night.
“You pick a team name, and guess what song it is and what year it’s from,” he explained, adding that music-lovers from all age groups attend the free competition.
For the winners, “We have lots of prizes from our Molson’s reps.”
Cracker Jacks is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week. More information here.
