Restaurant gets revitalized

The Co-Op Bookstore isn't the only place in town that's changing. The Campus Restaurant, a mainstay in Oberlin for the past 70 years, has a new look. Rick Nader recently purchased the restaurant and remodeled it with a baseball theme, combining his interests in the business with his passion for the sport.

Nader has been in the restaurant business since he left college, including working with Arthur Treacher's, Bob Evans and Taco Bell.

"It has been a lifelong dream to own my own restaurant, and I like the interaction of people at a sit-down eatery," Nader said. Lately Campus Restaurant has become slightly run down, allowing Nader to afford the place and redecorate it.

Although Campus Restaurant has a new appearance, Nader promises that it will still maintain its diner atmosphere and low prices. "I don't want to push the baseball theme on people," Nader commented. "I'm not going to rename the food, I just want to start conversation." He is also committed to keeping the prices reasonable, including newly added early dinner specials.

The menu has remained essentially the same, although it has been cut by 30 percent. Items that were not profitable enough in the past are no longer available. The Campus Restaurant had previously experimented with different types of food, a trend that Nader hopes to avoid.

"We'd rather do what we do well rather than try to meet all the interests in Oberlin," Nader explained.

It was this same rationale that led Nader to create the baseball nostalgia at the Campus Restaurant. While he recognized that Oberlin might not be a town that was heavily involved in sports, it was something that he really enjoyed. He said, "Why would I do something that I know nothing about?"

One thing that Nader had reservations about changing was switching the restaurant from smoking to non-smoking. Previously, the Campus Restaurant was one of the few smoking restaurants in downtown Oberlin. However, the new setup of the diner makes it impossible to divide the two areas.

"I empathize with people who want to smoke but there's no way to separate the sections," Nader said, explaining the decision.

Nader is also reaching out to the Oberlin College community. Although not as renovated as the main dining area, the basement of the restaurant is available for students in need of a free meeting room.

Dave Parsh, president of the Oberlin Merchant's Association, is happy to welcome a new face to the Campus Restaurant. "I'm glad to see someone with renewed energy and experience take over," Parsh said. "The Campus Restaurant has been around for a long time, and Oberlin needs a greasy spoon diner."

Future plans for the Campus Restaurant may include extending the hours, depending on how things develop. For now, Nader is focused on restoring the restaurant to what it had once been.

"I want it to be a place where people can hang out, get a soda or a milkshake, and talk."