By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com

As things start to bounce back during the pandemic, a number of new dining options and redevelopment projects are planned along Grand River in Genoa Township.

At Monday night’s board meeting, a project to revamp the shuttered Great Escape building was approved. It’s been vacant for a number of years and will be converted into a climate-controlled storage facility with improvements planned to the building façade, parking lot, and landscaping. There are also new dining options planned.

Supervisor Bill Rogers told WHMI there will be a lot of activity this season. With the improving weather, he said it seems as if people are coming out of the woodwork and feel it’s time to start – adding he thinks a lot has to do with pent-up demand due to COVID and people feel they can finally pull things off. Rogers said they’re seeing a lot of little restaurants and more choices along with a refurbishing of some of the old buildings that have basically been left empty for several years and it is pretty exciting.

As for restaurant activity; a new dining venture, Electric Ramen, will be opening up in a storefront in the Middletown Market building off Grand River. It will have a retro-futuristic vibe and feature various ramen noodle dishes that will be cooked using only electricity. Additionally, general improvements are planned to the larger market building and the parking lot.

Close by is the old Log Cabin restaurant and tavern by Lake Chemung that will be re-opening under new ownership – possibly this summer. Various renovations are taking place, including a new entertainment stage for music. The longtime owners, two brothers who have since passed away, sold the business and it closed in 2018.

Further down Grand River is the new Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurant that opened up in the old Wendy’s location.